Ribbon cutting held for new $99M elementary school

AMHERST, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A ribbon cutting is being held Monday for a new $99 million elementary school in Amherst.

The new Amethyst Brook Elementary School replaces the former Wildwood and Fort River elementary schools which were built in the 1970s. It’s already full of students, but town and state leaders gathered to celebrate on Monday.

“I’ve known some people who have spent their entire careers never teaching in a healthy building. So, it really helps the community of this school feel cared for,” said Principal Allison Estes. “They can teach in a space that feels fresh and clean.”

The original idea of the Twin School Project was proposed back in 2016 for the Wildwood site, but failed to win approval at the town meeting. A year later, a referendum to overturn that decision also failed so the town’s residents restructured the council, changing it to 13 members in 2018.

After securing funding from the Massachusetts School Board Authority and receiving town funding from an approved debt exclusion cote in May 2023, the project finally got over the finish line and the new building’s staff couldn’t be happier.

The building is currently holding 575 kindergarten through fifth-graders, and is the town’s net-zero public building.