Central Plans Moving Forward

QUINCY - Mayor Thomas Koch and the Central Middle School Building Committee are moving forward on several key steps toward planning the long-needed new school, steps that will trigger a series of community meetings in the near future to outline plans for residents and address concerns, officials said.

The City, working with the Central Building Committee, recently sent out a formal advertisement seeking an architect for the project, and the School Department provided the Massachusetts School Building Authority with an extensive enrollment report outlining current conditions and future projections for a new school.

"We are pressing ahead, and the community is going to be involved every step of the way on this vital project," Koch said. "These are tangible steps toward our goal of building a much needed new building for our schoolchildren in the most cost-effective way possible. The Central Building Committee is working hard, our partners at the state level are actively involved, and we are all looking forward to making continued progress together with the community."

The architect selection process runs in collaboration with the SBA, and it will be Spring before an architect is hired. According to SBA guidelines, the Central Building Committee will review applications and submit a list of qualified applicants to the SBA's designer selection panel, which will continue to pare down applicants and ultimately approve the architect selection.

In addition to SBA officials, the designer selection panel will include three representatives from Quincy - Superintendent Richard DeCristofaro, City Solicitor James Timmins and Central Principal Jennifer Fay-Beers.

"This is a very methodical, orderly process conducted in close collaboration with the SBA to ensure the most qualified architect is hired," said School Committee Jo-Ann Bragg, who is a member of the Central Building Committee.

Added School Committee Vice Chairwoman Anne Mahoney, who is also a Building Committee member:

"We are working closely with all of the stakeholders - the SBA, our Schools, the City Council and the public - to foster a smooth process that guarantees the plan will be fully vetted."

The Central Building Committee also recently formed a subcommittee to coordinate public outreach, which will include multiple public meetings in coming months. School Committee members Mahoney and Bragg, Mayor Koch's office, and Building Committee parents' advocate Terry Scuzzarella will coordinate the outreach efforts.

Working with Ward 5 City Councilor Douglas Gutro, plans are in the works for a neighborhood meeting for residents living near the existing Central Middle School that will be specifically focused on the future of the building. Another meeting will be held for neighbors in the area surrounding the proposed school site - the former Winfield House restaurant location on Hancock Street in Wollaston - once an architect is hired so the firm can hear opinions from residents before designs begin.

Additional meetings are likely, and all meetings will be publicized extensively on the City's website, QATV, Educational Access on Channel 22 and through local media.