By Sal Ghamo 

On January 28 The Somerville Board of Alderman addressed recent developments concerning the process of potentially building and renovating a new high school. The ResiStat staff, who are responsible for engagement between city government and residents, recently met with a freshman designated by the mayor’s office to join The Somerville High School Building Committee as a voting member.

Alderman at Large Mary Jo Rossetti reported on the January 20 committee meeting where they reviewed The Draft Education Plan and put forward the importance of public outreach. The education plan is scheduled to be submitted to the state in February.

Rossetti proceeded to reflect on the meeting stating, “We talked a lot about public outreach and how we should be stepping it up more as the clock grows closer to the potential of this actually happening.” The committee plans to travel outside the high school and hold their meetings abroad throughout the city.

On February 10 the Board will take up a vote in which estimation of cost will be the primary focus. That meeting will be held at the East Somerville Community School Library, beginning at 5:30 p.m. “If the plan moves forward on the timeline it’s projected to potentially happen, the new high school, as it may be, would be opened in the Fall of 2021,” said Rossetti.

The February 10 vote is preliminary, and concerns the development of planning and design costs. It will not be until June that the more important vote will take place. For now the administration is working on a presentation to the Board regarding financial outlines.

Rossetti recently talked with city members that are part of the ResiStat committee about continually having a section devoted to the plan so that further information may be filtered out through the community.