The proposal for a new Taconic High School was years in the making. Initial discussions ranged from creating a regional vocational district to whether the city should pursue a two-school or "one-school" plan that would close Pittsfield High School.

With no interest in developing a regional school, the city moved forward with what eventually became a focus on renovating or rebuilding Taconic. Last fall, the School Building Needs Commission voted to pursue a new school after cost estimates for additions and renovations came in at about the same price. Projected repairs at the school with no addition were in the $36 million ballpark; state funding was limited.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority reimburses up to 80 percent of eligible costs, such as for instructional spaces. The anticipated cost is $120.8 million of which the city will be responsible for $45 million.

The City Council will vote on whether or not to fund the project on Tuesday, April 14. Following that vote, the MSBA will have to approve its own reimbursement on Wednesday, June 3.
 
At that point, design development phase in which the consultants Skanska USA will work with city officials to further flesh out details and hire a construction manager at risk. That process is expected to include a daylong session for officials to sort through all of the proposals. Ultimately, the group will determine who they'll hire to head the project and enter negotiations. Pre-construction work will also happen during this phase.
Future Expansion
The city was very clear a few years ago that we want two high schools.
Superintendent Jason McCandless
Should the city opt to close Pittsfield High School in the future and send all the students to the Taconic, the design includes plans for expansion. The city could in the future build another smaller structure close to where the current building is located and build bridges on the upper floors for access. The plans also take into account the possibility of other independent or parochial high schools closing.
 
"The stairwells have all of the electricity, communication, and utilities. They'll basically come up through interior chutes there. That's where we would want to have easy access for all of these utilities to reach across," McCandless said.





Taconic High School Today

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Design

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Third Floor

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Auditorium

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First Floor

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MSBA Process

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Front & Back

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Future Expansion

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Site Plan

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Academics

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Second Floor

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