WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to share that the district held a beam signing this morning for the middle-high school building project.

A small group including Superintendent Bartholomew, Assistant Superintendent Brent Conway, Pentucket Regional High School Principal Jonathan Seymour, Sen. Bruce Tarr, Rep. Lenny Mirra and members of the School Committee, Building Committee, We Are Pentucket and town officials attended the gathering. The event was held in front of the current Pentucket Regional High School building in the circular pick-up area near the front entrance and flag pole. 

Attendees of the signing gathered at 8:30 a.m., while wearing masks and practicing social distancing, for a welcoming statement and introductions from Principal Seymour. Additional remarks at the gathering were shared by Superintendent Bartholomew, School Committee Chair Dena Trotta, previous We Are Pentucket representative Julie Torrisi, Sen. Tarr and Rep. Mirra. 

Then those who attended signed the beam one by one, and members of the community were also invited to drive through the area and sign the beam throughout the day today. 

The beam will be the last to be placed into the new Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building, and is scheduled to be placed in the building on Monday, Feb. 1. 

“This project is going to make a tremendous difference for Pentucket students for generations to come,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We are always grateful for the continued support of our communities. In addition to being an iconic institution of learning, this building will always be a symbol of the Groveland, West Newbury, and Merrimac communities unifying to prioritize education and making a commitment to the young people of these three amazing towns.”

The Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building project is on schedule, and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022 and officially opened the following fall. Construction began in spring 2020, and the $146.2 million project was approved by the Towns of Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury in spring 2019 at Town Meetings and Town elections. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is funding up to $52.7 million of the project. 

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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.