ROCHESTER — The proposed closure of William Allen School would bring the city up to three elementary school closures in recent times.
The news was among many updates during the annual State of the City breakfast hosted Friday by the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce. The featured speakers were Katie Ambrose, the city manager, Annie Azarloza, the city schools superintendent, and Mayor Paul Callaghan.
Rochester is building a new elementary school on Salmon Falls Road as part of a planned consolidation in the city, which for many years had eight elementary schools.
Nancy Loud School closed permanently in 2023, when it was deemed structurally unsafe. The plan all along has been to close School Street School, too, when the new Salmon Falls Road school opens in 2025. Now, the William Allen School is being proposed for closure, too.
"We broke ground this year on the new elementary school," Callaghan said. "It means we may close three of our oldest schools. What we would save in maintenance and operating costs will help cover the bond for the new school."
The School Board's Operations Committee voted unanimously Oct. 3 to recommend closure of the school, according to Azarloza, who noted the School Board will vote on it Oct. 10.
The school closures and a new school opening means "we must redistrict" some elementary school students, Azarloza said. "David Rychlik, our new director of operations, is leading the charge on this initiative."
Azarloza said the plan is to present a redistricting proposal to the Operations Committee in December.
"Because we need to staff Salmon Falls elementary school, all William Allen and School Street staff will have a home in Rochester, although they may not all land in Salmon Falls," Azarloza said. "We are developing a hiring process so that our new Salmon Falls principal (Erin Mahoney) has a say in the hiring of her staff. We won't know exactly how many children the redistricting will affect until we conclude our process, but we are looking at several factors to make this as least disruptive to families as possible."
The new 68,000-square-foot facility at 753 Salmon Falls Road will have the capacity to serve up to 420 kindergarten through Grade 5 students.
Parking becomes hot topic as downtown Rochester grows
Callaghan said the city's rapid growth makes parking an important issue.
"We have acquired the right to use the Ben Franklin lot (corner of Union and Wakefield Streets), a property that has been vacant for a long time," he said. "We are making improvements there now, and when finished it will bring over 100 new parking spaces to the downtown.
Callaghan said the Union Street parking lot is slated to be upgraded this year and will offer more spaces. He said the city is still reviewing other parking options for the downtown area.
Mayor touts progress on housing in Rochester
"Affordable housing is the No. 1 issue here and, in the state," Callaghan said. "The best way to address homelessness is to provide affordable housing. And we are leading the way. In 2023, we received the Seacoast Workforce Housing Award."
In the past three years, Callaghan said, Rochester gained more than 400 new housing units, and 200 more are in the works.
"The Easterseals project brought the city 65 one- and two-bedroom apartments, for people 62 and older," he said. "The Gafney House, renovated by community action added another 21 units of affordable housing for our seniors."
More:Affordable senior housing at Champlin Place in Rochester opens, thanks to Easterseals
More:21 affordable apartments for seniors offered at Rochester's historic Gafney Home
Callaghan also mentioned The Howard and Fowne's Mill projects as more housing options. He noted the city has acquired the former Elizabeth Seton School. The mayor has previously said the city hopes to find work with a developer on an affordable housing project at the site.
Restaurant openings called positive sign
Callaghan said the theme of the state of the city this year is: "We have landed."
"We have new businesses downtown and it is becoming more vibrant," Callaghan said. "We have four new restaurants, here or coming soon. Natasha’s Sweets and Eats, and Mai Tai will be opening soon, and Cinco De Mayo and Busy Bee just opened.
More:Here's what's on menu at Busy Bee Cafe
Superintendent wants to 'transform' Rochester schools
The city's new Superintendent Annie Azarloza made her first appearance at the event this year. She said her goal is to create a district where every child not only succeeds but thrives.
"I am not here to merely manage the school district," Azarloza said. "I want to transform it, to make the extraordinary possible."
More:Bullies help stop bullying in Rochester schools. Here's how "undercover" program works.
More on the state of the city: Videos of city department leaders providing updates have been posted by the city.
