Following the 2020-21 construction of the school’s Upper School campus building, located at 395 Columbia Road in Dorchester, Conservatory Lab will begin its renovation of its Lower School campus building, which serves 209 of Conservatory Lab’s 450 students. Board Chair Rev. Dr. Greg Groover says that, “After moving locations five times since the school’s founding in 1998 the beginning of this renovation shows Conservatory Lab’s dedication to the Dorchester community. With two permanent locations, Conservatory Lab now has the opportunity to focus on how to best serve its permanent student population base in the Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, and Roxbury communities.”
Originally purchased in 2015, the Lower Campus building, located at 133 Hancock Street, has served Conservatory Lab students well, however, small windows, and limited natural lighting have posed challenges to learning. There are a limited number of bathrooms, an antiquated HVAC system that requires ever increasing maintenance, and outdoor recess takes place on a modest play yard but is often curtailed because of inclement weather.
Executive Director, Nicole Mack says, “The Lower School renovation will provide the Lower School students with a facility that fully supports their music, academic, and Social/ Emotional learning and honor the work of Conservatory Lab’s talented and experienced teachers.”
This comprehensive upgrade of the existing site will yield additional bathrooms, outdoor environmental classrooms, state-of-the-art practice and performance spaces, and a cafeteria/assembly/recess space to nurture social and physical growth.
Affirmative secured $9MM in NMTC Allocation from Civic Builders and $24.4MM in long-term fixed rate debt from Equitable Facilities Fund to finance the renovation and expansion. Affirmative worked with HarborOne Bank to refinance a tax-exempt bond issued as part of the 2019 Upper School construction project.
The post Groundbreaking of Conservatory Lab’s Lower School Campus appeared first on Affirmative Investments.