Peabody Officials Tour Renovated Danvers High to Get Sense of Design for Higgins

Members of the Higgins School Building Committee took a tour of the nearly completed major renovations at Danvers High on Thursday and they liked what they saw for the most part.

The architect on the Danvers project is DiNisco Design Partnerships, which is the same firm working on the new Higgins Middle School for Peabody. School officials wanted to check out the new design in Danvers first-hand to get an idea of what the Higgins might or could look like.

"I was very happy to see the openness when you first walk into the building, but also the openness out front where the kids will be dropped off," said Mayor Ted Bettencourt. "To me...that's safe for them, and also just an attractive look."

He was referring to the brand new entrance to the high school, which has a wide open look both outside and inside the school. There's also a lot of light coming in through the windows.

Bettencourt added that while he was glad to see the high school's brand new science wing and other new features the Higgins might also have, there were also aspects to the design he wasn't too fond of, such as the lack of a hardwood court in the field house.

"I tried to get you a basketball, Mr. Mayor, but they were all locked up," Ken DiNisco said with a laugh during the field house portion of the tour.

"When the new court goes in, I want to have the first shot," Bettencourt replied, smiling.

"This was valuable, I think, in the sense just to see what we do like, what we don't like. As we do our planning now this is going to help us," Bettencourt told Peabody Patch.

"It's nice to see the possibilities," remarked committee chair Beverley Griffin Dunne as the tour wrapped up.

The tour group Thursday included several members of the Higgins building committee, including Bettencourt, Dunne, fellow School Committee member Tom Rossignoll, Superintendent Joe Mastrocola, Higgins Principal Todd Bucey, former Superintendent Herb Levine, Higgins librarian Sudi Smoller, Finance Director Patti Schaffer, parent Kristie DeLoreto and several others.