The City of Holyoke this week is marking the next milestone in its plans to build a new two-story, 107,475-square-foot middle school for 550 students that will meet the needs of a modern education.
On Monday, June 24, Mayor Joshua Garcia and Superintendent Anthony Soto—along with members of the Holyoke City Council, School Committee, and School Building Committee—participated in a “topping off” ceremony for the new middle school building. The ceremony marked a major milestone in the project as the highest steel beam—signed by key stakeholders—was placed atop the building. They were joined by Massachusetts School Building Authority Executive Director Mary Pichetti, Senator John Velis and Representative Patricia Duffy, and students, families, and staff who will be assigned to the new middle school when construction is completed.
“We come together this afternoon as a community of shared values,” said Mayor Joshua Garcia. “The state-of-the-art school building being erected here is the result of years of cooperation and negotiation. This ambitious project would not have been possible without the outstanding support of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the Holyoke City Council, the Holyoke School Committee, our state legislative delegation, our professional consultants, our students and families, and the entire Holyoke community. It is truly a team effort where egos and agendas were set aside in the best interests of our children.”
The new middle school is an important component of Holyoke’s efforts to strengthen learning opportunities and reimagine the middle school experience. The new building will replace the poorly designed, energy-inefficient Peck Middle School that no longer met the needs of a modern education.
“I am thrilled to see the tremendous progress towards building a new middle school for our Holyoke students and community,” added Superintendent Soto. “With the beams in place, we can now clearly see the size and scale of this building. This is the structure for what will become a best-in-class learning environment for our students, where they can discover their passions in art, music, science, literature, and more.”
The $85.5-million project was officially approved in June 2023 by the City of Holyoke and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). Of the total $85.5 million costs for demolishing Peck and building a new middle school, the City of Holyoke is responsible for paying approximately $27.1 million and the MSBA will reimburse approximately $58.4 million. Currently, the estimated project costs are under-budget.
“We are very appreciative of our consultant team—Fontaine Bros and all their subcontractors, Mount Vernon Group, and Answer Advisory—for delivering on our vision to build a state-of-the-art building on-time and under budget,” said Holyoke City Council President Tessa R. Murphy-Romboletti. “The steel just came on site earlier this month, and it's really unbelievable that we are here today, recognizing the placement of the last beam.”
Fontaine Bros. is the general contractor for the new middle school building. Fontaine Bros. was the lowest qualified bidder out of seven companies that were pre-qualified to submit bids. Since their founding in 1933, they have built numerous schools in the Pioneer Valley, including schools in Holyoke, Chicopee, Granby, and Springfield. Mount Vernon Group Architects is the design firm for the project, while Anser Advisory is serving as the Owner’s Project Manager. American Environmental completed the demolition and site preparation.
The project timeline includes the following key steps:
November 2024: Select a name for new school building, with the process to be led by a subcommittee of the School Committee and final approval by the City Council
Spring 2025: Identify staff to be assigned to the new school; plan for successful opening of the new building
Spring 2025: Communicate with students and their families who will attend the new school
March 2025: Building enclosed
Early June 2025: Building systems (e.g. mechanical, electrical, plumbing) completed
Late June 2025: Interior finishes completed
July 2025: Site work completed
Fall 2025: New school opens
More information is available on the new middle school page of the district website