Essex Building Committee Advances Three-Story School Design, Plans March Community Meeting

ESSEX -- February 24, 2026, Essex Elementary building committee advances new three-story school design option with expanded athletic fields. The Manchester Essex Regional School District Essex Elementary School Building Committee reviewed seven design alternatives at its February 24 remote meeting, including a newly introduced Option F that places the building mass along Story Street and yields roughly double the athletic field area of earlier proposals, enough for two U10 fields or a single U12 field. Members debated phasing risks, including the possibility of operating a year without a gymnasium or cafeteria, with one educator noting that losing the gym "doesn't impact just our PE classes, it's also the location for town meeting and a significant number of youth sports." The committee will send all seven options to cost estimators on March 11, hold a community input session at Essex Elementary on March 30, review costs on April 14, and seek approval of its preferred schematic report for MSBA submission on April 28, with town meeting votes in both Essex and Manchester targeted for November and debt exclusion votes in December.