Update on The North Bennet Street School Move

Miguel Gomez-Ibanez, President of The North Bennet Street School told the North End Water Front Residents’ Association that plans are underway to move the school to the former police station at 150 North Street and to the former printing plant at 130-140 Richmond Street.

The Eliot School will expand into the current North Bennet Street School location and the North Bennet Street School will relocate to the aforementioned city properties.

“As of September first, three of our eight programs will remain in our original building (at 39 North Bennet Street). Two of our programs are in Arlington, two of our programs are in South Boston and two programs will be in the police station on North Street,” Gomez-Ibanez said. The North Street move is a temporary move while construction is underway. “It is going to be very disjointed. During the school year, we will be renovating the printing plant and that will start about September first. Construction will begin in December or January.”

Gomez-Ibanez said that the carpentry, cabinet making, preservation carpentry and any program requiring heavy machinery will be moved into the printing plant. The piano tuning and restoration and book binding programs will be housed in the police station. The proposed gathering space for the school will also serve as a community space for meetings and events. Gomez-Ibanez said that the school faces a lengthy review process from the BRA, The Mass Historical Commission and any other City agency.

“We have to be fully operational by September 2013 and we are still in the schematic phase of putting puzzle pieces around on pieces of paper, so we have a long way to go,” Gomez-Ibanez said. The current budget for this project is $10 million, but Gomez-Ibanez said the cost is estimated to be “considerably higher.”

Gomez-Ibanez said he would be happy to come back before the North End Water Front Residents’ Association once he had models and drawings to show.

“We also have to say goodbye to our existing building and this is going to be sad. I want to create an event to celebrate this. I can’t imagine walking out of our building after 131 years without a farewell party,” Gomez-Ibanez said.