Tonight's forum focuses on proposed new middle school in Barrington

Officials will also offer tours of current building

By Josh Bickford
Posted 9/28/16

Barrington Middle School teacher Kelly Polando stood inside the technology room and shared some bad news with the superintendent, the principal and the director of finance and …

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Tonight's forum focuses on proposed new middle school in Barrington

Officials will also offer tours of current building

Posted

Barrington Middle School teacher Kelly Polando stood inside the technology room and shared some bad news with the superintendent, the principal and the director of finance and administration.

School officials will discuss proposal details at forum.

Ms. Polando said the air conditioning had recently gone out in the room, which wouldn't be too troubling except there were no windows in the room. 

Well, there was one window, but it did not open and only looked out upon the hallway.

Oh, and the heat was on the blink, too. 

"There are some building failures at different times," said Michael Messore, the superintendent. 

Those failures will likely be discussed at the Barrington Middle School project community forum planned for tonight, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m., at the school. 

District officials are proposing the construction of a new 142,500 square foot building on the current site of the middle school. On Nov. 8, Barrington voters will be asked if they want to spend upwards of $68.4 million on the new school — about $16 million would be reimbursed to taxpayers.

"The facility includes flexible classroom spaces for project-based, collaborative learning and is designed to enhance interdisciplinary and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) teaching and learning…" stated a press release from the school district.

The current building is the source of concern for officials. During a tour of the building on Friday afternoon, principal Andrew Anderson offered a glimpse inside Julie Abbruzzi's classroom. The space reportedly does not meet standards for space set forth by the state department of education; it falls about 200 square feet short of the required space. 

Dr. Anderson said the small, somewhat inflexible classrooms force students to get creative when collaborating on work.

"If this was during class time, you'd find kids out in the hallway doing their work," he said.

Some classrooms inside the school lack any natural light — such as the technology room, one of the cafeterias, and two of the science labs — while others are hampered by electrical and mechanical issues. 

School officials reported that Barrington Middle School was one of only 14 schools out of 276 statewide that received the lowest rating of "poor" during a 2013 analysis of school building conditions.

The original middle school in Barrington was built in 1958 (the section closest to Middle Highway) and 10 years later an addition (located closer to the Roberta Plat neighborhood) was completed.

Some renovations have taken place over the years, including the conversion of a lecture hall into a technology room and additional cafeteria space.

Ron Tarro, the director of finance and administration for schools in Barrington, said some other maintenance improvements could be made for about $11 million. He referenced heating and air conditioning upgrades, roof repairs and electrical improvements.

Mr. Tarro cautioned that the $11 million would do nothing to create more flexible learning spaces or increase natural light in the building.

Officials said the custodial staff at the school works hard to keep the building clean and manageable. That is clear inside the science labs, which appeared spotless (and frigid) during the recent tour.

A science teacher explained the cold temperatures in the science wing — he said the air conditioning must run on high as it limits the amount of moisture buildup in the rooms. The windowless labs, he said, would otherwise be prone to mold and mildew issues.

Tonight's community forum will offer residents a chance to learn more about the proposal, which includes modern science labs, a full auditorium, rehearsal and performance areas for bands and choruses, visual arts rooms, technology and allied arts areas and athletic and fitness facilities.

Officials are also quick to point out that the new building will include "sustainable design features, such as energy-efficient HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as upgraded safety and security features and improved traffic flow."

Dr. Anderson said the traffic flow in the cafeteria lines would also likely improve. During the tour he showed the tight quarters inside the lunch lines. He said students are usually pretty good about moving quickly through the lines, but often sacrifice their food options in exchange for allowing themselves more time to eat. 

"They have 23 minutes to eat lunch," he said. 

A second middle school forum is being planned for Oct. 18. During both forums, people will be given tours of the current structure and shown plans for the new building.

Have questions?

Barrington school officials have built a website to share information about the proposed Barrington Middle School construction project. Go to www.bmsproject.org

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