Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and the Pentucket Regional School District are pleased to share the following update on construction of the new middle/high school building.

Construction is currently about 70% complete, meeting the schedule to open the building for the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

The new school, a 211,700-square-foot facility, will house about 970 students when it opens.

The new combined building replaces the current middle school, which opened in 1967, and the high school, which opened in 1958. The two current building have outlived their useful existence and restrict the District’s ability to educate students to their full potential.

A two-story wing will house students in Grades 7 and 8, while a separate three-story wing will house students in Grades 9 through 12. The two wings will be joined by a large foyer and dining commons.

A centerpiece of the new school will be the 600-seat Performing Arts Center, which will support the District’s signature arts and music programs and serve as a gathering place for community programs and activities.

“This will be such a beautiful facility,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “There is nothing like this in the area.”

The building also will include a drama studio to allow for smaller group work and performances.

Individual classrooms are designed to be flexible and maximize interdisciplinary learning opportunities. For example, some class spaces are split by dividers, which can be removed to allow classes to work together.

“In our buildings now you may have 25 of the same desks,” said High School Principal Jonathan Seymour. “Every classroom now will have a variety of furniture.”

Pentucket Regional High School’s curriculum places a large emphasis on movement science and athletics, so several class areas are devoted to that discipline. For example, a kinesiology lab will be used for education during the day, and double as a weight room and training area for student-athletes later in the day.

The new school is tracking toward LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold designation. A state-of-the-art HVAC system and solar roof panels will reduce the building’s energy footprint and lower carbon emissions. It is estimated these measures will save $2 million in energy costs during the next 20 years.

Hallways contain expanded learning areas, allowing students to work on group projects or for teachers to lead small group or tutoring sessions.

Both existing buildings will be demolished. Those areas will be used to create athletic fields and parking.

The new school was designed by Dore and Whittier, with Vertex serving as owner’s project manager, and W.T. Rich serving as construction manager.

“It is exciting to see this vision take shape. The entire design and construction team took a personal interest in this project’s success, and it shows,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “I also want to thank the School Building Committee for its dedication and hard work, and our school community and our three sending towns for their incredible support. I can’t wait for everyone to see this school when it opens.”

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew wishes to provide an update to the community about the Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building project.

The project has not been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at this time, and remains on budget and on schedule.

The Towns of Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury approved the $146.2 million project at Town Meetings and Town elections last spring; up to $52.7 million of the project cost will be funded by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Temporary construction trailers and site signage are scheduled to arrive for the building project the week of April 27, and construction trailers will be housed at the front of the current high school parking lot. Temporary fencing to mark off the construction area is scheduled to be installed beginning May 11.

“Fortunately, the ongoing pandemic has not impacted this project, and at this time everything remains on track,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “Our district needs this new facility to continue providing high quality educational opportunities to our middle and high school students, and we have been working closely with our partners on this project even in the midst of COVID-19 to keep the ball rolling.”

Pentucket Regional School District will be contacting neighbors to the site by mail to join an email list, at will, and neighbors will also be provided contact information for the owner’s project manager, who will be available to answer any questions they may have.

The new Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building is expected to take approximately two years to construct, and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022. The district estimates that the current high school and middle school buildings will be demolished in the summer of 2022, and construction for a permanent parking lot will begin in fall 2022.

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WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that construction for the Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building is set to begin this spring.

The project remains on schedule and on budget, and the district is working in partnership with the facility’s designer Dore and Whittier, project manager Vertex, construction manager WT Rich and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to finalize construction documents. The district also continues to work with the West Newbury Planning Committee, West Newbury Conservation Committee and Groveland Conservation Committee to obtain necessary permits for the project, as well as local building inspectors and the Groveland and West Newbury water departments. 

“Since the project was approved by residents in the spring, the district has been working tirelessly with our partners to solidify the plans for the building, continuously evaluate the cost and so on,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We are on budget, and on schedule. Students, faculty and staff are going to start seeing progress on the project this spring and summer, and we look forward to this exciting new chapter for our district.”

The district expects to begin the construction of a temporary parking lot on the lawn by Main Street in front of the current Pentucket High School building late this March or in April, depending on weather conditions. The current parking lot will be used as a construction zone throughout the building process.

Students, faculty and staff will use the temporary parking lot until the new building is complete and a permanent lot is constructed where the current high school building now stands. 

The district will also begin installing temporary perimeter fencing in the area behind the current Pentucket High School building in late March or April, where the new building will be built.

The new Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building is expected to take approximately two years to construct, and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022. The district estimates that the current high school and middle school buildings will be demolished in the summer of 2022, and construction for a permanent parking lot will begin in fall 2022. 

The temporary parking lot will be removed during the 2022-2023 school year, and athletic fields will be built in its place, likely during the same school year.

Approved by Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury residents at Town Meetings and through ballot votes in spring 2019, the project will cost $146.3 million. Throughout the construction process, project cost estimates will continue to be performed to ensure the project remains within its budget. 

The district will continue to provide updates about the project as information becomes available. For more information, visit pentucketproject.com.

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“Upon completion, this project will provide a new 21st century learning environment for students in the Pentucket Regional School District,” Treasurer Goldberg said. “Our goal is to create the best space to deliver the District’s educational commitments and goals.”

The proposed project would create a new 211,700 square foot facility with an enrollment of 965 serving students in grades 7-12, on the existing site. The District reported in their Statement of Interest that the current structure suffers from deficiencies in its mechanical and HVAC systems. The District also reported physical plant issues, and the existing facility being unable to support the delivery of the Districts educational program due to existing and projected overcrowding.

“Pentucket Regional students will soon have a beautiful new space which will undoubtedly enhance and improve their ability to excel in the classroom,” stated Executive Director/Deputy CEO McCarthy.

The MSBA partners with Massachusetts communities to support the design and construction of educationally appropriate, flexible, sustainable and cost-effective public school facilities. Since its 2004 inception, the Authority has made over 1,750 site visits to more than 250 school districts as part of its due diligence process and has made over $13.6 billion in reimbursements for school construction projects.

The above press release was published by the Massachusetts School Building Authority on Wednesday, April 10.

Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury residents will be asked to vote on Election Day whether to appropriate funds for the proposed Pentucket Regional middle and high school building project.

Below are guidelines for residents seeking to vote by absentee ballot from the Secretary of State’s Office:

Residents that will be absent from their town on Election Day, have a physical disability or religious beliefs that prevent them from casting a vote at the polls are eligible to vote by absentee ballot as well as non-registered voters who are Massachusetts citizens that are absent from the state, confined to a correctional facility or jail for reasons other than felony conviction, or an active member of the armed forces or merchant marines, their spouse or dependent.

To request an absentee ballot, voters may submit an application or a signed letter to their local election official. A voter’s family member may also request an absentee ballot for that individual.

Applications can be downloaded and printed by visiting www.sec.state.ma.us/ELE/eleabsentee/absidx.htm.

The application will require information including the voter’s name, legal voting address, and date of birth. Voters will also be asked to provide the address where they would like the ballot to be mailed, and to indicate for which election(s) he or she is requesting a ballot for.

On the application, voters will also be asked to check any of the listed special circumstances which apply to their application, if any. Lastly, voters are required to sign their name. Those who require assistance signing the application may authorize someone else to sign their name in their presence.

Absentee ballot applications for Election Day on May 6 are due by noon on Friday, May 3. Applications can be submitted in person, mail, fax, or e-mail to the local election official at the voter’s town hall. The signature of the voter must be visible in any application that is emailed or faxed.

Residents voting by mail are reminded to submit their applications and return their ballots with enough time to ensure their ballots will reach the local election official’s office by Election Day.