As part of a facilities plan intended to unfold over more than 20 years that would involve expenditures of approximately $395 million, the White Plains School District has developed plans to add a new building to the high school on North Street a cost of approximately $33 million.
The school district had been a waiting approval from the state’s education department on the first step in the high school construction project, according to Superintendent Joseph Ricca late last month. The approval is needed for demolition to begin of the Dammann House on the high school’s property. The new building would use the Dammann House site. Dammann House has been used for activities such as staff development, information technology, family center and nurse coordinator services.
The high school addition falls under the district’s master plan process that began in 2018 when the district started working with the consulting and design firm H2M architects + engineers and Triton Construction to develop a long-range master plan for its buildings, grounds and infrastructure.
Work has been underway on parts of the plan including upgrades to ventilation, filtration and air conditioning systems and interior renovations at a number of school buildings around the city. At the high school, work has been underway recently to improve some of the grass areas used as athletic fields.
The new three-story building at the high school would have a sky-bridge connecting to the second floor of the exiting high school. It had been hoped that the new building would be completed sometime between the Fall of 2025 and the Spring of 2026. An alternative design called for a two-story building.
School officials plan to offer new programs in the new high school building. These would include courses in information technology and cybersecurity, nursing, culinary arts and horticulture. The building would have a space equipped with hospital beds for the nursing training, a cafe for gaining experience in food service, a photo lab, sculpting room, art gallery and a Life Skills Apartment where students can learn and practice housekeeping.
The White Plains High School is on a 75-acre campus and was built in 1962.
