Essex School Building Committee Advances Three Design Options, Votes Out Four Alternatives

ESSEX -- January 26, 2026, Essex Elementary School Building Committee unanimously advances three design options and clears $132,868 in project invoices. The committee voted Monday to eliminate all but options A0.2 (code upgrade), A1.2 (addition-renovation), and A2.2 (full replacement at approximately 73,000 square feet), following straw polls at the January 6 meeting and a briefing of the Essex School Committee that drew no objections. Invoices of $55,392 for Dore and Whittier Management Partners and $77,476.75 for JCJ Architecture were approved unanimously. Preliminary geotechnical findings revealed bedrock refusal as shallow as 1.4 feet in some locations, prompting discussion of potential blasting and the need for vibration monitoring; three wetland areas with 100-foot buffers add further site constraints. Member Gordon Brewster pressed for more frequent design working sessions, warning that the biweekly schedule may not provide enough feedback cycles before the mid-March cost-estimating deadline tied to a November 2026 Town Meeting vote.