In case you (or your children) were wondering—the climbing course took the top spot for preferred playground concepts among young voters at last month’s Week of the Young Child Celebration.

Some of Somerville's young learners check out playground concepts and cast their vote at the City's Week of the Young Child Celebration.

As always, we’re here to share updates on progress as we move through the state’s funding process as well as opportunities for community members to weigh in on Somerville’s next new school building—like this upcoming Monday's (5/11) workshop on possible community uses for the building (more on that below). 

This month's newsletter:

• MSBA Process Update - Advancing Our Preferred Design Options
• Community Design Workshop #2 - Community Programming
• Zoom-in: Sustainability Through a Broad Lens

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at newschool@somervillema.gov. 

Advancing Our Preferred Design Options 

Following the submission of the Preliminary Design Program (PDP) last month, the City’s project team has been advancing design and adding additional detail to the two preferred options for the new building at 115 Sycamore Street.  

At the most recent School Building Committee meeting, project architects, Perkins Eastman presented preliminary floor-by-floor layouts of each option. These layouts will continue to be refined as the process moves forward, design advances, and we continue to incorporate feedback.

Example of a preliminary floor layout shared during the May 4th School Building Committee meeting Watch the recording or view the slides here.

In late August, the City’s project team plans to submit to the state the preferred schematic report, which will formally convey a single, preferred option for the building.  

Community Design Workshop - Community Programming

Join a collaborative workshop focused on community programming on Monday, May 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland Street.  

The goal of this session is to better understand the community’s collective vision for how the building will serve the community outside of the typical school day. 


Discussions will focus on the potential uses of both indoor and outdoor spaces while school is not in session. Topics will include after-school programming, community event spaces, fitness and recreation, gardening and outdoor space use, and more.  

The feedback gathered will be used by the City’s project team and architects to help inform design work moving forward. 

At our recent sustainability-focused design workshop, community members brainstormed and shared their priorities and ideas for the project across three areas:  

• Carbon - Operations and energy, embodied carbon, etc.
• Wellness/Curriculum - Daylight, indoor air quality, arts and discovery, etc.
• Site - Outdoor play and gardens, ecosystems, transportation and safety, etc.

More on this workshop was shared as part of the most recent School Building Committee meeting.

As the project moves forward, we’ll continue to engage community members on these topics, and feedback gathered will inform the building’s design.