The Physical Need

As early as 2010, the MSBA identified a need to update Monument Mountain High School.

It’s the only high school in Berkshire County that hasn’t been renovated and replaced from the 20th century, putting our students at a disadvantage. The building has reached the end of its useful life and does not meet the demands of a strong educational program.

We don’t believe our regional high school reflects who we are as a community.

Opened in 1968 – Monument Mountain is now in its seventh decade of service to our communities. The facilities department does incredible work maintaining the building, and the community has made investments in the building, particularly around safety and security issues. 

Several upgrades have been made to the exterior, like the greenhouse, athletic fields, and parking lot. Most of the systems, components, and infrastructure of the building, however, are in need of outright replacement. Including original windows, inefficient and in poor condition. And original boilers, air handling, plumbing, and electrical systems. 

The site layout also reflects another era, with inaccessible pathways, crumbling curbs, no pedestrian access, and a traffic plan that backs up daily on route seven at dropoff and pickup times. 

Monument Mountain was also built before the existing state building code went into effect. It has no fire sprinklers, inadequate fire alarms, and no fire resistance rating. 

An antiquated kitchen that’s inefficient for 21st century demands and doesn’t meet today’s standards for food service design. And areas that fall short of ADA accessibility requirements. 

Even the roof – the one major component that’s been replaced since Monument Mountain opened – is also at the end of its useful life.

In addition to these physical needs, the existing Monument Mountain’s design cannot deliver the educational goals that reflect who we are.

It limits our ability to support high quality learning, puts our students at a disadvantage, and new investments into repair and maintenance won’t deliver a good return on our investment.