ORANGE — Butterfield won’t work and simply renovating Dexter Park won’t, either.
So, Orange’s future elementary school students should go to a new pre-K-to-6 school next to Mahar, a new building next to the current Dexter Park, or at expanded versions of its two current elementary schools.
Those were the feelings shared by Bruce Scherer, chairman of the School Building Committee, Wednesday night.
Scherer and the rest of the committee have been looking at options to replace — or significantly expand — the current Dexter Park Innovation School, which holds the worst possible rating from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Along with architectural firm Raymond Design Associates and Hill International Inc., which is managing the project on behalf of the town, they’ve narrowed the options down to seven possible schemes at three sites — the grounds of Ralph C. Mahar Regional School, the closed Butterfield School or the current Dexter Park/Fisher Hill Elementary School campus. Dexter Park is the town’s school for third- through sixth grade, while younger students go to Fisher Hill.
Although the School Building Committee hasn’t voted to eliminate any of the options yet, Scherer did say that some seem much more likely than others. The least likely is Option A, renovating the existing Dexter Park building. The state — which, according to Hill International’s Martin Goulet, could fund 80 percent of the project — requires that option to be considered, but there are significant drawbacks at Dexter Park that renovations would not overcome.
“This building is basically 50 percent undersized for what it needs to do,” Scherer said.
Indeed, Dexter Park has been overcrowded since 2015, when Butterfield School — then the town’s third elementary school — was closed to ameliorate Orange’s financial troubles.
Dexter Park, built in 1951, has been designated as a “Category 4” school by the MSBA since 2006. Category 4 is the worst rating from the MSBA, and indicates a need for substantial repairs or replacement. One of nine schools in the state with Category 4 status, Dexter Park was given the designation after boiler and heating problems, a leaking roof, asbestos and opaque windows.
Scherer said the high number of special education students in Orange’s schools — about 26 percent of total enrollment — require more space, and also make it unlikely Dexter Park will be renovated.
“The special needs requirements that we have here — being a poor town — the issues teachers are dealing with with our population require space,” Scherer said.
Resurrecting Butterfield, Option D, seems unlikely as well, with numerous obstacles in terms of the current building’s layout. Private property in a densely populated neighborhood would have to be purchased and leveled in order to expand the current building.
There are also difficulties considering traffic and security — Scherer said the only way to really secure Butterfield would be to have a stationed guard at the front door.
“Everything about this existing building doesn’t work,” Scherer said.
Additional space is also a component of the town’s “education plan,” Scherer said, and if students were to stay at Dexter Park, it is more likely architects and the School Building Committee would move forward with Option B, which adds an additional wing to the school, or Option C, which would be a new grades three-to-six school on Dexter Park grounds with the current building to be demolished.
Any of the options that would keep students at Dexter Park or the adjacent Fisher Hill would require a new, secondary drive to be constructed to fix the campus’ traffic situation, Scherer said.
Some popular options at Wednesday’s meeting would create a school that would have all of Orange’s elementary school students, from preschool through sixth grade, go to school in the same building. These included Option K, which Scherer said was “one of his favorites.” Option K would be a renovation of Fisher Hill along with significant additions constructed to hold the roughly 600 students.
“There’s been a strong feeling from the educators we’ve talked to that having everyone, pre-K-through-six, makes the most sense, and I would have to be convinced to see it otherwise,” Scherer said.
In terms of costs, money could be saved on faculty and staff if there is just one building.
School Committee member Diane Salcedo said Option Q, a new school for all grades adjacent to Mahar, has been a popular idea with teachers. The school would be across from the fields north of Mahar, and a new drive would be constructed to bring elementary students to school via Hayden Street.
“Because Orange is struggling financially, with everyone under one roof, it would be a better use of staff,” Salcedo said. “It would be better for the children.”
The School Building Committee and architects have until October to submit a single, best option to MSBA. After that option is submitted, a final schematic design will be drawn up by February of next year. In April 2020, MSBA should approve the project and the state’s funding and financial reimbursements.
Costs are unknown now, but residents should expect to vote on funding the project at the June 2020 Annual Town Meeting. If that vote passes, another vote to accept a funding agreement with MSBA would happen in July 2020.
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.