May 4, 2016 Facilities Assessment Subcommittee | Massachusetts School Building Authority

The following District presented on the progress of its proposed project at the May 4, 2016 Massachusetts School Building Authority (the “MSBA”) Facilities Assessment Subcommittee (the “FAS”) Meeting:

City of Boston
Josiah Quincy Upper School
Current Phase: Feasibility Study

Owner’s Project Manager: SKANSKA USA Building, Inc.
Designer: HMFH Architects, Inc.

The District began its presentation by describing the status of its Master Planning efforts and key aspects of its educational program. Then, together with its owner’s project manager and design team, briefly presented an overview of the options studied during the Feasibility Study and the District’s preferred solution to construct a new Josiah Quincy Upper School at the site of the existing McKinley School. The FAS, MSBA staff, and the District discussed: 1) the status of the Master Planning and reported school capacity in the City’s existing facilities; 2) future plans for the current McKinley students and plans for the former Abraham Lincoln School when the proposed project is complete; 3) the design and fit-out of the science rooms; 4) incorporating break-out and shared use spaces that allow for small group and project work where they can be supervised by the teachers, and how additional dialogue with the educators could improve the layout; 5) reviewing the layout regarding the proposed locations of the small group rooms and finding another location better suited to providing supervision; 6) the sensitivity of the proposed design to the neighborhood; 7) bringing natural light into the center of the school; 8) the integration of technology throughout the school; 9) the potential for E-Rate funding; 10) the benefits that can be realized with the use of voice amplification systems in the classrooms; 11) the locations of the special education classrooms; 12) year round use of the facility; and 13) community outreach.

MSBA staff is currently working with the District to reach a mutually agreeable solution to recommend to the MSBA’s Board of Directors.