What will the new West El/Shawsheen Preschool look like and where will it be located?

The new West Elementary and Shawsheen Pre-K School will support grades PreK-5 with an enrollment of 130 PreK Students and 925 K-5 students. The building will be located to the west and behind the current West El and will have a total of 191,028 gross square feet. The site measures 33.99 acres and is made up of 5 contiguous lots, some of which are heavily wooded with numerous wetlands. The site development includes approximately 266 dedicated parking spaces, play structures, open field play and paved play areas and two ball fields. Dedicated bus lanes and parent drop off/pick up are designed to alleviate the current traffic congestion and safety concerns. The building is being designed as an all-electric building, to achieve Net Zero Ready when open.

The plan configuration for the new facility is made up of three classroom wings and a gymnasium wing organized around a central core that contains shared program spaces serving the school. The building features a mix of single story high-bay spaces for the Music and PE curriculums, two story construction incorporating the main entry and Media Center as well as the Shawsheen Pre-K wing, and three-story construction that incorporates all the K-4 grade level classroom spaces in two three-story wings with the 5th grade classrooms oriented around a roof garden with greenhouse on the third floor of the central core.

The main West El entry flows into a lobby area that opens to the Cafetorium, and is flanked by the main administration area, offering a passive view of students and visitors as they pass through the security vestibule upon entry. The Gymnasium and associated spaces are located north of the Cafetorium. Music classrooms are located directly behind the Cafetorium Platform to allow them to function in a green room capacity, and art spaces are located on the first floor as part of one of the two three-story academic wings.  The media center is positioned on the second floor, just above the main entrance and administration area.  

The two-story Shawsheen Pre-K wing is connected to the K-5 program spaces through a small and transparent hallway, providing desired autonomy for the program which is currently located in a different building in a different area of Town.   The Pre-K wing has its own main entrance and admin area, which will simplify the circulation within the site and provide the Pre-K program with its own sense of identity.

Show All Answers

1. What will the new West El/Shawsheen Preschool look like and where will it be located?
2. How will the educational environment be improved at the new West El?
3. How will the educational environment be improved at the new Shawsheen preschool?
4. What is the schedule for construction activities?
5. How will traffic circulation change during construction?
6. How will construction vehicles enter and exit the site?
7. How will people be notified of changes in traffic circulation?
8. What will the project work hours be?
9. Will play areas be relocated during construction?
10. What will happen to the playing fields behind the current West El?
11. Will there be other impacts on students’ learning environment during construction?
12. When will the new schools open?
13. What are the next steps in the MSBA process/timeline?
14. What is the project budget and what is being done to ensure that there are no cost overruns?
15. What will the tax impact be of the new West El/Shawsheen Preschool?
16. Will the project involve redistricting and, if so, when will that occur?
17. The new WESB project is described as “Net Zero Ready.” What does that mean?
18. Why wasn’t the installation of solar panels on the roof and/or in the parking areas made a part of the current construction project?
19. How much of the new West El/ Shawsheen Preschool energy needs will come from on-site sources?
20. What will happen to the existing West El facility?
21. What will happen to the existing Shawsheen facility?
22. Who are the project contractors?
23. Who serves on the West Elementary/Shawsheen School Building Committee?
24. How can I get more information about the project?