Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP Alvirne High junior Faith Lanzillo, left, and seniorAlexandra Soucy, answer questions about Alvirne's Career and Technical Education Center while speaking with Hudson state representative Alicia Lekas. The girls were two of the several "CTE ambassadors" who spoke with community members and answered questions about the center at a Greater Hudson Chamber of Commerce reception.

HUDSON – After a $24 million facilities improvement plan failed by 74 votes last year, student safety is again driving a $17.5 million warrant article to allow for renovations at Alvirne High School.

On March 10, Hudson residents heading to the polls will check “yes” or “no” boxes for Warrant Article 1, which, if passed, would lead to the renovation work.

In March 2019, the project fell short of the needed three-fifths majority by 74 votes. The matter also failed to gain enough public support the prior year.

“It was a larger project – this one is smaller,” Hudson School District Superintendent Larry Russell said Thursday. “It still has safety and security as its main feature, but it’s smaller.”

With this new project, there is no gymnasium included in the plans. Instead, officials allocated end-of-the-year carryover funds to improve the existing gymnasium with new floors, baskets and bleachers.

Also, by having the proposed auditorium feature fewer seats, additional money is saved with this new project. Russell said this new auditorium would not just be used for school purposes, but would also serve the entire community. He said Alvirne is one of the largest schools in the state to not feature an auditorium.

“I think that our students should have the same availability to curricular advantages that every other school has except for us,” Russell said.

The project’s cost being reduced from $24 million to $17.5 million resulted from community feedback.

However, the warrant article still requires a 60% majority vote to pass because there is a bond associated with it.

District residents may cast their votes on the matter from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 10 at the Hudson Community Center at 12 Lions Ave.

Hudson School Board members Malcolm Price, Darcy Orellana, Gary Gasdia, Diana LaMothe and Gretchen Whiting unanimously recommend passage of the article.

The school – opened in 1975 – has not seen much work over the years, lacking a modern design which Russell described as “just not fitting today’s world.”

The school was rebuilt in 1975 after the 1974 fire that destroyed much of the structure. Some of the brick walls that survived that blaze are still in use, however. Additional firewalls were installed when the school was rebuilt, but other than that, there has been no major work done since that time. The exception to this is the current Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, which was redone in the early 1990s.

The question will appear on the ballot as follows: “Shall the Hudson School District raise and appropriate the sum of $17,550,000 for the design, construction, and equipping of additions and renovations to Alvirne High School; and further authorize the School Board to issue not more than $17,550,000 in bonds or notes for the balance of the project costs in accordance with the Municipal Finance Act, (RSA Chapter 33) [no more than this bond may be issued for the project without further authorization of the voters of the Hudson School District and authorize the School Board to issue, negotiate, sell, and deliver such bonds and notes and to determine the rate of interest thereon and the maturity and other terms thereof; and further raise and appropriate the additional sum of $445,453 for the first year payment on the bond and authorize the School Board to take any other action necessary to carry out this vote or pass any other vote relative thereto?”

One aspect school officials are considering with this project is the parking lot, which typically has cars all over the place, as well as students walking back and forth. The project seeks to address this issue by dedicating a parent line for cars coming in for drop-offs and pick-ups that loops in and out. The plans also include a separate bus line that will come in from the opposite direction and go out behind the buildings. Wider sidewalks are also included in the plans.

The plan aims to move the front office, counseling office and special education office to the front of the building so that visitors will not have to enter the main area of the building for these services.

Aside from this safety and security step, Russell said the plans also include upgrading the school’s mechanicals, such as heating, plumbing, electrical equipment.

“The No. 1 feature we’re getting out of this whole thing is safety and security,” Russell said.

Currently, the school’s cafeteria is located in a transition-way from the CTE wing into the regular wing retrofitted to be a cafeteria. This area has no walls, so the plans aim to add walls and enclose the cafeteria. Plans call for rebuilding the cafeteria with walls and security doors.

Other improvements are also included in the plans, such as the 600-seat auditorium and a relocation of the boys locker room.

Officials with both Lavallee Brensinger Architects and Harvey Construction have been involved in this preliminary work that has been done to date. However, there will have to be a bid process to determine who will actually be doing the job.

If approved, the entire renovation project will take about 23 months to complete.

“Work would begin in either June or July of 2021,” Russell said of the project if voters approve it.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.