Construction option 2B for the new school building proposal.

By Ewan Henrie

The City of Somerville welcomed residents to a forum on Tuesday, March 3, focusing on plans to build a new school at 115 Sycamore Street. The forum meeting took place inside Somerville High School, and featured appearances from Mayor Jake Wilson of Somerville, Superintendent Ruben Carmona, and project architects from Perkins Eastman. Also, in attendance were Councilors Lance Davis and Kristen Strezo.

Mayor Wilson opened the meeting, providing an introduction to the project and stating that he understood the importance of providing a school for people’s kids. “The path forward is clear,” Wilson stated. “We agree with the CAG recommendation that serves 900+ students at 115 Sycamore.” The large number of students is because the City of Somerville aims to have a school that houses kids from Pre-K to senior year of high school.

A special focus for the planned school is providing a safe and welcoming environment for neurodivergent students. The architect discussed a connected cafeteria with quieter areas, tactile surfaces, and a sensory space for kids to enter, among the many ideas to make a neurodivergent-friendly school. Another planning proposal involved having a rooftop area for children to play in, providing a sense of fresh air and a unique environment for recess.

Dawn Guarriello, one of the lead architects of the project, then showed a selection of preliminary plans for the residents of Somerville to choose from. One plan in particular, 2B, had a “perfect solar orientation” for all of the academic spaces, providing daylight exposure. There would also be two grades for each story of the building.

In the Q&A section, the forum hosts were asked when demolition and construction could begin if the motion passed to build a new school on Sycamore Street. The response was that the earliest date would be 2027, with the latest date being 2029.