Essex Building Committee Advances Three-Story School Design, Plans March Community Meeting

ESSEX — February 24, 2026 — Essex Elementary building committee advances new three-story school design option with expanded athletic fields. The Manchester Essex Regional School District Essex Elementary School Building Committee reviewed seven design alternatives at its February 24 remote meeting, including a newly introduced Option F that places the building mass along Story Street and yields roughly double the athletic field area of earlier proposals — enough for two U10 fields or a single U12 field. Members debated phasing risks, including the possibility of operating a year without a gymnasium or cafeteria, with one educator noting that losing the gym "doesn't impact just our PE classes — it's also the location for town meeting and a significant number of youth sports." The committee will send all seven options to cost estimators on March 11, hold a community input session at Essex Elementary on March 30, review costs on April 14, and seek approval of its preferred schematic report for MSBA submission on April 28 — with town meeting votes in both Essex and Manchester targeted for November and debt exclusion votes in December.