ORANGE — A New Salem company has been tapped to construct an outdoor classroom pavilion at Fisher Hill Elementary School.

White Oak Timber Frame and Woodworking submitted a $46,500 bid for the work, beating out Paqcon LLC in Sagamore Beach and Bensonwood of Walpole, New Hampshire.

“White Oak Timber Frame is the responsible contractor offering to perform the work at the lowest price,” Town Administrator Matthew Fortier said in an email awarding the bid. “I appreciate everyone who took time to look at this project.”

Fortier, who is also Orange’s chief procurement officer, had previously said he would pick a company with the proper insurance to complete the project for no more than $50,000.

Dexter Park Innovation School, which opened in the 1950s, was demolished in August 2023 and Fisher Hill Elementary School now accommodates all Orange students in preschool through sixth grade, with an expanded 97,000-square-foot building following a $45 million construction project. The idea for outdoor education, though, originated before the expansion.

“Before there was a new building, before there was even a plan for a new building, or before we even knew where it was going to be, we had public hearings and people expressed what they wanted to see in their new school,” Bruce Scherer, chair of the Orange School Building Committee, said at a Jan. 8 meeting of the Orange Selectboard. “Something that was strongly expressed was that people wanted to see our children educated about the natural environment.”

He said his role as committee chair has sent him to many schools and made him better appreciate the beauty of the Fisher Hill campus.

“And this outdoor classroom will help to fulfill the expressed desire of people who came to those meetings, who wanted to see their kids educated in the natural world, and take advantage of the beauty of the campus at the same time,” he said, showing Selectboard members a photo of a similar spot in Hadley.

Scherer mentioned the design was drawn up for free by a local engineer and the proposed timber-frame building will be able to accommodate 30 students. The particular site adjacent to the beaver pond on the school’s campus was chosen because it has the space necessary and the area was already disturbed.

“This seemed to be the one that made the most sense,” he said of the location. “It has a clear view of the beaver pond and the building will be directly adjacent to that handicap-accessible sidewalk.”

Scherer mentioned a significant amount of money is lost by Orange families opting to send their children to other school districts and he hopes an outdoor classroom will entice some of those students to stay in town for their education.

Pat Lussier, the Selectboard’s vice chair, said she is concerned about flooding. Scherer assured her the landscape is part of a comprehensive drainage plan approved by an engineering firm, the Orange Conservation Commission and the state.

“And, just from historical data, the water level has never been any higher than it is right now,” he said. “And this [structure] would be up feet from the edge of the water.”

Selectboard member Julie Davis asked who will maintain the structure and Scherer said maintenance will not be required, as the planned metal roof should last 50 years and white oak — the type of wood expected to be used — is extremely resistant to rot.

Davis then asked what would be done about mosquitoes and Scherer said the pests can be dealt with the same way they are now.

“These are all things that people run into that are dealt with in the natural, normal course of events,” he said, adding that he assumes tasks like the removal of bee nests would be handled by the school’s custodial staff.

Fortier said the town has $40,000 to spend on construction thanks to a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant and the School Building Committee has some contingency funds left over because the school construction was $1 million under budget.

Lussier and Selectboard Clerk Andrew Smith said they think the pavilion is a terrific idea.

“What an asset to that whole campus,” Lussier said. “The whole concept behind it is just fabulous, I think.”

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-930-4120.