Mayor announces community meeting April 24 on Berry Elementary site review; wetlands and Chapter 97 parkland flagged as obstacles

The mayor informed the council that the Annie Atterbury (Berry) School Building Commission will hold a public community meeting on Thursday, April 24 at 6 p.m. at Sotelo Early Childhood School to answer questions about the Berry School project and site selection.

Why it matters: The Berry School project is a multi-year legacy capital project for the district. Previous analysis showed significant obstacles at the original site, including wetland soils and Chapter 97 parkland designation, which could prevent or delay construction if not fully vetted.

What the mayor said and what will be covered

- The mayor said the building commission will explain why the original site must be thoroughly vetted and discuss obstacles such as wetland soils and Chapter 97 parkland protections. As a secondary option the commission will present Sotelo Early Childhood School as a possible location to create a campus with the new Berry School.

- The public meeting will include representatives from the project’s design firms (Calo and Beinecke), the Colliers project management team, school department representatives and members of the city and the building commission. The mayor described the overall effort as a roughly seven-year project and said the city is entering its third year of work on the project timeline.

Context and next steps

- The mayor asked media and residents to attend the April 24 meeting if they have questions; the intent is to ensure compliance with Open Meeting Law and provide answers to outstanding neighborhood questions.

Ending

The public meeting on April 24 will provide the community the opportunity to hear details about site constraints and the timetable for future steps on the Berry School replacement project.