The new Pierce School design calls for a fossil fuel-free new building, built over a new parking garage, with renovations and additions to the historic Pierce School building and the existing-to-remain garages. The new design will accommodate 4-sections per grade plus 3 BEEP classrooms. This solution accommodates the grade bands (lower elementary Pre-K to 2, upper elementary 3-5, and middle school 6 to 8) in distinct areas, while sharing common spaces that are centrally located. Large, shared, public spaces can be easily separated from the rest of the school for after-hours community use.
The total project cost currently pending Town approval is $209,915,958. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), a partner on the Pierce project, has approved a Maximum Total Facilities Grant of up to $37,839,511, which could reduce the share to Brookline Taxpayers to $172,076,447. The MSBA’s approval letter can be found here.