The new Crocker Elementary School welcomed its first students on Monday, unveiling a state-of-the-art learning environment with energy-efficient upgrades supported by Unitil and designed to reduce operating costs.
“We welcomed our first and second graders on April 28 and will do the same for our third through fifth graders in the fall,” said Jonathan Thompson, superintendent of Fitchburg Public Schools. “By staggering the openings by grade levels, we will have time to finalize additional work and fine-tune our procedures.”
What began as a visioning session in 2018 to replace the nearly 60-year-old building at 200 Bigelow Rd. will complete its final assignment with the grand opening of the new 116,000-square-foot facility on Sept. 2.
One of the new building's unique features is its biophilic design principles, strengthening students’ connection to nature. The architects also included equitable design elements to support the students' academic and emotional needs. It will accommodate up to 845 students in grades one through five.
Energy efficiency was a major priority of the project. The new school is expected to save 175,000 kWh of electricity and 8,257 therms of natural gas annually. These savings will come from a combination of features including LED lighting and controls, enhanced insulation, high-efficiency windows, demand-control ventilation, kitchen hood controls, variable refrigerant flow heat pumps for cooling and heating when outside temperatures exceed 30°F, and dedicated outdoor air systems with electric resistance preheat and gas-fired furnaces for temperatures below 30°F.
The project qualified for an energy efficiency incentive of $314,362 from Unitil through Mass Save programs.
“Designing this new facility with a centralized high-efficiency natural gas boiler plant paired with VRF heat pumps opens up a number of versatile, economic optimizations. The heat pumps will provide cooling and humidity control while also reducing annual heating costs, ensuring that building occupants are more comfortable at a lower operating cost,” said Alec O’Meara, Unitil’s External Affairs Director.
The $76 million project received significant support from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which covered 55 percent of the funding.
Photo Credit:
Teaser Image: Fitchburg Public School’s Jeremy Roche (left), assistant superintendent of finance and operations, and Jonathan Thompson (right), superintendent, review Crocker Elementary School plans with Unitil’s Joe VanGombos.
Top Right Image: The entrance to the newly opened 116,000-square-foot Crocker Elementary School at 200 Bigelow Rd., Fitchburg, Mass.
In-Text Image: Fitchburg Public School’s Superintendent, Jonathan Thompson (left), thanks Joe VanGombos for a $314,362 energy efficiency incentive through Unitil's Mass Save programs.
