The Facilities Committee hosted a presentation and tour at the high school Monday, October 23 to inform community members of the proposed changes to the campus and the building.

At the walkaround tour, visitors were able to see the current conditions of the weight room and mezzanine level storage area. Tour guides, which included school board members and other members of the committee, explained the changes and answered any questions. Tom Whalen, HB Booster Club President, was one of the tour guides.

After the interactive tour, visitors were invited to the auditorium for an updated presentation. SAU 41 Superintendent Andrew Corey promoted the updates and advocated for student needs. After, the architects on the project explained logistics and more detailed plans.

Kirk Anderson, a parent and Hollis resident, attended the meeting. He thought it was informative and helpful. “It was a good presentation and seemed to thoroughly cover the material…it gave me the information I needed to be an informed voter,” said Anderson. “At this juncture, I believe I will vote in favor [of the changes].”

Some students, like Grace Catalanotti ‘19, attended the event to hear more about the changes being made to their school. She was surprised at what she learned at the presentation. “I never really knew that they were going to add more to the school itself; I thought it was only about the turf field,” said Catalanotti. “Now that I have a better idea about how the administration is going to improve the school, I do support their intentions,” she added.

Holly Babcock, a school board and Facilities Committee member, said that the project is approximated to be completed by the spring of 2019, if passed. She was pleased with the attendance saying, “I thought it was a good turnout and the comments were thoughtful and constructive.”

The Facilities Committee met early in November to go over the input. Another public forum will be held in December before residents of Hollis and Brookline vote on the proposed changes in March 0f 2018.