Quechee
In keeping with the Quechee-based school’s philosophy of environmental stewardship, the project will include natural materials such as cedar shingles, Douglas fir post and beams, and a super-insulated envelope that will be energy efficient, according to Chris Huston, the vice president of architecture at Bread Loaf Corporation, who designed the project.
“Making an extremely healthy learning environment was important to them,” Huston said. “We’ve got a number of skylights coming down the center corridor and lots of appropriately sized windows.”
Administrators hope to wrap up the fundraising campaign by March, and break ground in the summer of 2017.
“It’s a very exciting time for the school,” said Jennifer McKenna, development director at Waldorf. Since May, the school has raised $1.8 million toward its goal internally, including the largest donation in the school’s 25-year history.
It went public with its goal in October; Since then, McKenna said, the campaign “has gone well,” though she declined to say on Tuesday how much has been raised during the public phase.
If the project goes as planned, it will see the removal of a modular trailer home that currently houses two classrooms on the Waldorf campus.
In addition, a house and garage at 1815 Quechee Main Street — which is on the corner of Quechee Main Street and Bluff Road — will be demolished to widen the intersection and make it more safe.
Huston said the current, narrow intersection isn’t ideal for cars making the turn from one of the two streets to the other.
McKenna said that the school does not currently own the property, but that the owner has agreed to donate it to the school.
According to town property records, the property was purchased in 2014 for $177,000 by Joseph and Amy Morel, owners of the Eastman Farm in Barnard. The building is appraised at $240,000, and was built in 1850.
Huston said he was unaware of any particular historical value of the building, but that such details would be explored later in the process.
“It is definitely a work in progress, that whole intersection,” Huston said. “We’re having discussions with the town and the Public Works Department.”
The project represents the second phase of the school’s master plan; the third phase would see the addition of a 3,500-square-foot auditorium.
Though there is no funding, and no concrete timeline in place to build the auditorium, the school plans to seek permitting for the entire project, to streamline the process.
As part of the plan, the Waldorf School hopes to lease parking spaces from the Hartford School District, which operates the adjacent Ottauquechee School.
In April, the Hartford School Board decided not to sell a 1.33-acre parcel of land that the Waldorf School sought to purchase to expand its parking capacity.
Huston presented the plan to the Hartford Planning Commission last week for a sketch plan review, a preliminary step in the town permitting process that is designed to help identify possible problem areas before a formal building permit application is submitted.
According to meeting minutes, Planning Commissioners had few concerns about the plan. They said that lighting would be required for the parking lot and asked that the formal application include detailed information about the removal and planting of trees.
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.