Salem Public Schools design team files schematic plan ahead of Dec. 17 MSBA submittal

Salem Public Schools building committee members heard a detailed schematic design update Thursday evening, with architects and construction partners outlining a Dec. 17 schematic submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and confirming a Dec. 3 deadline to verify the project is on budget to the MSBA.

The presentation and discussion matter because the schematic design and final estimate will form the basis of the MSBA review and a vote expected in February; it also set the major program and site decisions that will shape construction and future campus use.

Perkins and Will and the construction manager partners described weeks of programming meetings and the team’s work to produce room data sheets, finish lists and a full schematic estimate. "A big an important date here to remember is that on December 3, we have to confirm that the project is on budget to the MSBA," the committee chair said during the update. The design team said it will coordinate estimates with the SRP team (the Shawmut/WT Rich partnership) and the owner’s project manager to meet the submission schedule.

The committee reviewed the site plan's most active questions. Designers described a roughly 5,500–5,700-square-foot temporary automotive building to house vocational automotive work during construction; the building could later be reused for storage, utilities or restroom access. The team also discussed relocating the Salem Diner to a landscaped area near the former basketball courts while noting the diner is not in the construction manager’s scope. Committee members and the mayor expressed concern about the diner’s proposed siting relative to athletic facilities and asked the designers to reexamine options; designers cautioned that some alternative sites would require significant grading and ledge removal.

Designers also confirmed the team will keep the geothermal system under the Horace Mann field because of conflicts with parking‑canopy solar and retention/detention requirements. On connectivity, the project team said the intent is to provide campus‑wide Wi‑Fi to enable outdoor learning and to livestream MIAA sporting events for families and communities who cannot attend.

The presentation showed more-developed floor plans and massing. Designers said welding was reoriented on the first floor to make the CTE program visible from Highland Avenue, and that lockers will be provided for CTE, JROTC and substantially separate special‑education programs but not for the general population. A student asked about the programmatic decision to remove the darkroom; staff and administrators said the darkroom was eliminated to reduce gross square footage and because the program is less commonly used given digital photography’s prevalence. As Glenn, a school official, put it during the meeting, "the darkroom is a program which is becoming more less and less common on high school campuses because of the changes, in the use of digital technology."

Architects presented two complementary design languages — a solid, grounded "strata" and a lighter, porous canopy — to break down building scale and create layered indoor/outdoor learning spaces that aim to connect Highland Avenue to wetland areas on the site. Designers said they are further developing facade materials, mechanical screening and landscape berming to reduce visible equipment along Highland.

The committee requested additional reviews of circulation and secure access for after‑hours events and voting. Designers said they will study ways to limit public circulation into academic wings while preserving pre‑function space for events and shared operations between gymnasium, cafeteria and auditorium.

Committee members requested follow‑up items including: a capacity analysis to test how scheduling and layout affect enrollment capacity, further study of diner placement and automotive building siting, and a review of finishes and maintainability for exterior materials and restrooms. The team said it will return with updated options and responses as the schematic submission is finalized.

For the schematic submission the team will finalize the estimate and the thousand‑page schematic book required by the MSBA; the committee will review budget and scope before the Dec. 3 budget confirmation to MSBA.