Now is the time to have your voice heard!  Even if your child will not walk through the doors of the “new” school as a student, you can make a difference in the design of the new Bancroft.

Quick Links:

Bancroft Building Project Blog: 

http://bancroftbuildingproject.blogspot.com/ 

School Building Committee webpage with meeting dates, information and minutes: http://www.aps1.net/index.aspx?nid=426

SMMA community Powerpoint presentations:

http://www.aps1.net/Archive.aspx?AMID=47

Current News

The Massachusetts School Building Authority has unanimously approved the Bancroft Feasibility Study and the selection of Andover's "preferred option."  This means that the project will move forward  as a school for 680 children in grade K-5 with a price tag of approximately $34.8 million.  The new building will be constructed immediately north (in front) of the current building.

In addition, the School Building Committee voted on June 2^nd to have only ONE secondary access point for the new school.  The new road will be constructed between the school and West Knoll, providing access to South Main Street.  No decisions have been made yet about how this road will be used (i.e., one-way or two-way).

The project has now entered the Schematic Design phase.  This is an exciting time, as decisions about room placement and building design will be made over the next several months.  Subcommittees made of up Bancroft parents and staff have been meeting and touring other schools to gather ideas and establish priorities.  In addition, a community meeting has been scheduled for June 9th at 6:00 p.m. at West Middle School.  This will be a Sustainable Design Charette--a forum to share ideas about green design for the new school.  Please plan to attend!

Background Information

When the Bancroft School was built in the late 1960’s, its architect was hailed as a visionary for creating such an impressive and unusual design for a school.  Since then, the Bancroft community has grown and elementary education has changed, creating the need for additional building space.  Additionally, because of its design, Bancroft is costly to maintain.  Thus, in June, 2008, a committee was formed to study the physical needs of the Bancroft School and explore options for renovation or replacement.

In 2008, The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) selected Bancroft as part of a building program in which a portion of the cost is paid out of state building funds.  The MSBA will be our partner throughout the planning and building process.

In September 2009, the Design Selection Panel of the MSBA selected the Cambridge firm Symmes, Maini & McKee Associates (SMMA) to conduct the feasibility study on the project.  SMMA is the firm that designed the Wood Hill/High Plain project several years ago.  Those who were involved in that project were quite pleased with SMMA for several reasons.  SMMA worked well with the community, keeping them informed and soliciting their input.  They were also responsive to the needs of the community long term.  Thus, long after the project was completed, they stood behind their work, addressing any concerns at no cost to Andover! They stated: “a client is a client for life”, making a commitment that one rarely hears these days.   

Questions?

If you have questions or suggestions, please contact:

Christa DiNapoli, Bancroft PTO liaison to the building committee at dinapoli.family@comcast.net,

Francine Goldstein, Bancroft Principal, at f2goldstein@aps1.net

Or, send a message to the building committee at sbc@aps1.net