SPRINGFIELD — Two school buildings, one from 1898 and the other from 1951, will be consolidated into one building housing both schools.
A $95 million project to replace and consolidate the Homer Street and Deberry schools broke ground on Tuesday. The site is on the current Deberry property on Union Street in the Mason Square neighborhood. The new school is expected to open in 2023.
“This project as been in the making for many years and to know that it’s really happening is exciting,” said Springfield School Committee member Barbara Gresham who has been working with local legislators and city officials to ensure this project gets underway. “Our administrators, our community and most of all our students deserve two walk into two state-of-the-art schools to admire the beauty, enjoy the comfort and get the high quality education they deserve.”
The project is being funded with combined funds from the city and the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The MSBA will provide $66.4 million towards the project.
Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the city’s partnership with the MSBA has been fruitful.
“They have been a great partner. We have done $700 million in projects, building new schools and rehabbing schools,” he said.
He said the new construction adds value to the neighborhood as well.
“Anytime you open up and build a new school, a new library, a new park, that brings a sense of hope, a sense of positivity, not only for that neighborhood, but for the city itself,” Sarno said.
Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said both schools are antiquated and in disrepair.
“We have buildings that were built in the 1890s with no cafeterias, no gyms, really substandard buildings so these projects are big for the city of Springfield and they’re big for our future, because our future is our kids,” he said.
As part of the consolidation a park that was adjacent to Deberry School will be rebuilt on the old Mass. Career Development Institute site on Wilbraham Avenue.
Peter Garvey, the director of the Department of Capital Asset Construction said the park had to be moved in order to make room for the two schools.
“There was a lot of thought put into positioning the building. We needed a five acre site for this building and in the middle of a city it is very hard to locate five acres of unused space,” he said. “The park will be on three acres of land.”
The project comes on the heels of the Brightwood/ Lincoln Elementary School which opened in the city’s North End neighborhood this fall.
Related content:
Ad Choices