Schools

Winchester High School Feasibility Study Focuses on Design

The Education Facilities Planning and Building Committee is researching design options for a potentially new Winchester High School.

This is the first in a series of releases from the Education Facilities Planning and Building Committee (EFPBC) on the High School Feasibility Study. 

Education program, schedule and construction/site costs will be used over the next three months to narrow down high school design options.

High School Feasibility Study architects, SMMA, have recommended a process for Winchester to select a preferred design and location for a new or renovated high school. 

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After narrowing down site selection over the past few months to either the current location or Skillings field, the Education Facilities Planning and Building Committee (EFPBC) are on schedule currently pursuing all available design options.   

The number of alternatives under consideration has expanded to eight, with 27 permutations dependent on the scope of education programming, space configurations and site considerations.  

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“With 24 project goals, a commitment to thoughtfully engage community stakeholders, and requests for community use elements, decision making has become complex,” said Bob Deering, Chair of the EFPBC.

To simplify the process, SMMA recommended focusing on three sets of objectives which differentiate each alternative.  

On Wednesday, Oct. 17 the EFPBC will evaluate alternatives according to education program and project cost tradeoffs. The following Wednesday, Oct. 24, site, construction and cost tradeoffs will be discussed. Finally, on Wednesday Oct. 31, schedule and cost tradeoffs will be used to compare schematic designs. 

Once the EFPBC has assessed alternatives based on these three filters, community discussions will shift to a focus on the 24 priorities and goals established at the start of the project.

SMMA has also recommended abstaining consideration of any alternatives which fall below the MSBA’s standard program or those which do not successfully accommodate the projected enrollment high water mark of 1370 ninth through twelfth graders

Over this phase of the feasibility study, SMMA will provide the EFPBC and the community with decision making tools, intended to illustrate through graphics, models, and estimates, the cost and educational implications of the decisions being considered.

All alternatives considered in the future will include where possible proposed community use elements, including the location and size criteria for the addition of a community pool.

For more information, please visit the project website: www.winchesterhsproject.com


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