Frequently Asked Questions

The decision to go forward with a major addition with minor renovation design scheme that will maintain, with upgrades, the existing fieldhouse and pool, was based on extensive research and information gathering, including:

• Educational Visioning Workshops
• Grade Configuration and District-Wide Space Analysis
• Building Systems Assessments
• Site Constraint Study
• Educational Programming Analysis
• Community Design Workshops
• Enrollment Trend Analysis
• Teacher, School Administration, and Community Input
• Traffic Pattern and Options Analysis
• Social-Emotional-Learning Analysis
• Environmental and Sustainable Design Study

After examining the design options, including new construction, renovation, and renovation with addition, it was determined that a renovation with major addition would most adequately address the town's needs.

The school will be a 7 through 12 lower and upper-school building. The school, which will be situated on the current Belmont High School (BHS) site, although with a different building orientation, will include minor renovation and a major addition. Both the fieldhouse and the pool will remain in their current locations, with upgrades.

For multiple views, both exterior and interior, of the proposed school, please visit the "Site Design" section of the website under "Presentation Materials."

The size of the 7 through 12 building is dictated by a design enrollment of 2,215 students, Belmont's educational program, and the MSBA's space allotment for various classroom uses. This comes out to a building square footage of 451,575 SF. This is considerably larger than the current 257,120 SF high school building due to drastically increased enrollment and the incorporation of two additional grades (7th and 8th).

Multiple views of classrooms and other interior school areas are available in the "Site Design" section of the "Presentation Materials" section of the website.

All Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) projects are required to design for the most recent version of LEED-S (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or NE-CHPS (Northeast Collaborative for High Performance Schools) and exceed Massachusetts Energy base code by 10%. Furthermore, the MSBA's Green Schools Program provides incentives to districts to increase the energy efficiency and sustainability of new construction and major renovation/addition projects by exceeding Massachusetts Energy base code by 20% for two additional reimbursement percentage points.

The MSBA has established several sustainable green programs for all MSBA-funded projects, with an increased emphasis on reducing energy and water consumption. These programs include updated standards for new and major renovation/addition projects. The Belmont High School Building Committee is working closely with Sustainable Belmont and is pursuing efficient alternative energy sources which will realize a life cycle cost benefit. In addition, exploring the goal of Zero Net Energy is a project objective.

The location of the proposed community path and the possible tunnel under the railroad tracks is still being worked on by the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee (CPIAC). The location of the path, tunnel, and the Belmont High School Project will be coordinated when more is known about the high school's size and location.

The White Field House will be removed to accommodate the new 7 through 12 school. Renovations of the school field house will be made to accommodate locker rooms for the football team, as well as the other BHS teams. The BHSBS is working closely with the Belmont High School Athletic Director to ensure that the needs of all BHS's sports teams are taken into consideration during construction and that disruptions will be minimized as much as possible.

Access to the track and Harris Field will be accessible during all phases of construction via a designated pedestrian path.

The BHSBC is working closely with the Brendan Grant Foundation and the Belmont Public School to ensure that all features of the current field will be included in the relocated field along with some improvements made in collaboration with the Foundation.

Belmont High School was completed in 1970, before current standards regarding use of materials in construction and environmental regulations were put in place. In anticipation of work inside the existing building and across the Belmont High School property, data has been obtained, studied and evaluated for environmental concerns that may impact design, construction, and future use of the Project. The environmental study concluded that there are no exposure risks above EPA standards at the current high school site. In addition, Belmont High School's asbestos containing material survey has been updated so that it will be managed appropriately during construction, and the Belmont High School site has been investigated to evaluate whether historical site usage will impact the Belmont 7 through 12 school. All costs related to these concerns are factored into project costs.

The CM's (Construction Manager) construction contract will be bid in accordance with Massachusetts Public Bidding laws (Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) chapter 149A). While Skanska will manage the construction process, the subcontractors performing the work will be determined following the State's public bid process.

MSBA regulations require that the Belmont High School Building Committee consider various construction and site options during the Feasibility Study Phase, including addition/renovation of the existing school and new construction on the existing site.