Construction Could Begin Soon on New Wing for Hanover Elementary

The stalled Hanover Elementary School construction project may soon get the green light after weeks of sitting in limbo, School Building Committee Chairman Matthew Dominello reported at the monthly committee meeting Thursday night.

Construction of a new wing that will house the school’s first all-day kindergarten program was supposed to begin in June. It has been on hold pending approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for removal of PCBs, a toxic chemical found in a small area of the school.

The EPA’s response to the school building proposal, originally due in mid-May, was finally received a few weeks ago. The architect for the project, Robert Andrade, replied to it immediately.

“We have addressed everything they asked us to address,” he told the committee. “We anticipate it will be a shorter (approval) process than last time.”

Because of the EPA’s delayed response, the wing’s original completion date of summer 2012 will probably have to be pushed back to early 2013, committee member Robert Lineen told the full board of education at its last meeting in mid-July.

Dominello said he has heard complaints that the committee didn’t push hard enough for a response from the EPA. “We don’t tell the state or the federal government what to do,” he pointed out. “We could have stood on our heads. It wouldn’t have made any difference. This committee has done their job. Bob (Andrade) has done his job.”

High School Renovation Updates

At Thursday night’s meeting, architects for the $216.7 million dual remodeling projects at Platt and Maloney high schools updated the committee on their progress. Both architectural firms have been meeting with school and city officials and incorporating feedback into their designs.

Paul Antinozzi of Antinozzi Associates, the architects for the Platt project, said 60,000 to 70,000 square feet of the original building will remain—including the gym, pool and auditorium areas.

“We’ve really wrapped the existing building with new construction,” he explained. “The whole outside of the building will have a totally new appearance.”

Angela Cahill of Fletcher Thompson, architects for the Maloney makeover, said the firm was able to accommodate all elements requested by a recent music department review of the design plans and is set to kick off a food service department review next.

The two architectural firms have held some joint meetings and are using the same consultants in some cases.

“It’s a real plus for us that our architectural firms are cooperating,” said Glen Lamontagne, who has been spearheading school construction efforts.

Although still very early in the process, both architectural firms reported that they are currently on schedule. Construction is set to begin in 2013, and final renovations should be complete before school opens in the fall of 2017.