Summary of January Community Input Meetings

The Brighton Central School District held its second set of Brookside Redevelopment Project Community Input Meetings on January 28, 2016. Approximately 60 community members participated in the afternoon and evening sessions. 

Superintendent Dr. Kevin McGowan opened by providing some background information about the Brookside Redevelopment Project.

The Brookside project is an opportunity to add full-day kindergarten and provide a 21^st century learning space for all kindergarten and first and second grade students. The classroom spaces would be designed for 21^st century learning. This includes sliding glass walls that can connect classrooms for collaborative learning or create spaces for small group work.

 

Programs currently housed at Brookside, such as the Brighton Recreation Department, Brighton Senior Program, Montessori School of Rochester, Brighton Your Wardrobe, and Brighton Food Cupboard, among others, will be afforded the opportunity to move to Council Rock should their respective governing bodies deem that to be in the best interest of their programs.

A new school at Brookside also could provide greater opportunities for community use through a full-size gym, regulation soccer field, and nature trail throughout the property.

Brighton Central School District is also developing a Facilities Master Plan that would continue improving and updating all of the District’s buildings. Dr. McGowan asked participants their thoughts on bundling the Brookside project with a more comprehensive districtwide plan.

The cost of the project and impact to the neighborhood are the District’s greatest concerns. The District is seeking community input through surveys, community forums, and an advisory committee.

The image below is a site plan for the Brookside project. In the latest design, parents who live in the Evans Farm neighborhood would be able to drop off their students through the Idlewood Road entrance to the right. School buses and other parents would utilize the Winton Road entrance to the left. The plan is to provide enough parking spaces to accommodate evening events without families parking in the Evans Farm neighborhood. The blue sections of the building are additions to the current Brookside school. The tan sections are existing areas of the Brookside School that would be renovated.

 

The next rendering shows the possible layout of the building. There is space available for an addition to house the Brighton Recreation Department if the Town of Brighton decided to pursue that in the future.

 

Assistant Superintendent Lou Alaimo presented an overview of the cost considerations of the project, including the potential impact on taxpayers.

SWBR Architects Senior Associate and Sustainable Design Director Mark Maddalina gave a presentation on the environmental and sustainable design programs available to the District. He outlined the differences between the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools, Collaborative for High Performing Schools (CHPS), U.S. Green Building Council LEED, Passive House Institute U.S., and Living Building Challenge.

SWBR recommends that Brighton utilize the LEED for Schools Rating System as a benchmark system for sustainability. As a balanced and multi-faceted system, LEED provides an opportunity for operational energy savings over the life cycle of the building as well as meaningful and measurable improvements across an array of categories that positively impact human health and the environment.

Click here to view the presentation from the January community input meetings.

The Brighton Central School District sent out a mailing in February that answered questions about the project and invited the community to the upcoming Community Input Meeting. Click here to view the brochure.