The new two-story building replaces the aging Jefferson and Memorial Park Elementary Schools. The Jefferson School will be taken down and the land will be cleared and turned over to the Parks Department as part of a land swap. The Memorial Park School will be removed to make room for the new school and field, and the former Esten school will be transformed into an early childhood center that will house all kindergarten students district wide. As one can imagine, the permitting process for schools is rigorous and requires working to ensure that the project plans comply with local standards for land use, zoning, and construction. There are added challenges when a new school will be constructed on the site of the pre-existing facility that is to be replaced, and the land from the previous schools is in the shuffle.
Out with the Old, In with the New
Rockland Public Schools’ elementary school students had long been divided between three aging facilities across the district: Esten, Memorial Park, and Jefferson Elementary. Each school was in varying stages of decline and experienced complications ranging from unusable entryways, lack of fire protection, and outdated electrical systems. After SMMA’s thorough exploration of possible renovations and sites for a new school, the district decided to construct a new school on the old Memorial Park Elementary School site, right next door to the district’s middle/high school complex.
The new Phelps Elementary School will support next generation learning and replace the district’s three outdated elementary schools. The two-story, 120,000 sf consolidated school will accommodate all students in grades 1-4 under a single roof and include a new lighted turf field on the site for Rockland youth sports.