What Should A Proposed Salem High School Building Look Like?

SALEM, MA — Salem residents will get a chance to see proposed designs for the new high school at a pair of public forums next week.

Superintendent Steve Zrike said three options will be shown and will include one renovation, one entirely new constructed building, and one hybrid design of renovations and new construction.

"This will be the first crack at what the design of the building could look like," Zrike said. "We do want your input around that."

There will be an in-person forum on April 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the library of the current Salem High School, and an online forum via Zoom on April 30 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Zoom link is here. A video presentation of the meeting is also planned to be made available.

Attendees will be able to view the designs and speak with members of the School Building Committee, city officials, the project management team from Accenture, and the architectural firm Perkins & Will.

Residents and stakeholders are invited to ask questions, offer ideas, and express concerns.

• Salem Grade 7-12 New High School Building Proposal Shot Down

The proposed new Salem High School will remain a traditional high school for grades 9-12 after the School Committee in February aligned with the status quo after months of public discussion on whether to endorse expanding the new building to grades 7-12.

While some officials, including Mayor Dominick Pangallo, initially expressed support for a 7-12 grade configuration, the vote was eventually unanimous in opposition to it out of concerns about the detrimental effects an expanded school would have on the segregated 7th and 8th graders there and the 6th graders potentially left behind with younger grades.

"Over the course of the last few weeks, we heard a lot about the cost projections of a project of this magnitude," Pangallo said at the Feb. 3 meeting. "(We want) to be realistic and also responsible about what our community can afford, while also recognizing we do have a Collins (Middle School) building that is in very good condition and is working well."

While the opening of a new school remains between five and seven years away, Zrike told the Committee two months ago that a decision on the grade configuration was time-sensitive so that design plans could move forward on the project.

According to a district timeline released this week, a meeting of the Committee will be held on May 6 to discuss the designs and vote on a preferred design.

There will then be a meeting on June 18 with a vote to authorize the preferred schematic report.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)