New High School Construction On Time, On Budget

Arlington MA

18 August, 2021

6:08 PM

Description

Your Arlington Last Updated: 17 August 2021 Written by Susan Gilbert 'This new school will give Arlington a better and brighter future.'-- Jeff Thielman Construction of Arlington's new high school, due to open in 2024, is occurring on schedule and budget. "I'm proud of what we're building, and we think this new school will give Arlington a better and brighter future," said Jeff Thielman, Arlington High School Building Committee chairman, at the Aug. 9 Select Board meeting. Phase I construction is due to be completed next February, with the auditorium to be done in April. "This phasing plan minimizes student impact, and no classroom trailers are needed," said Thielman. The project is also on budget. "Designed for 1,755 students, the total budget is $289.8 million, with $84.6 million from the Massachusetts School Building Authority," explained Thielman. All contractors and subcontractors have followed Covid-19 protocols since March 2020, he added. Select Board tours site Select Board members recently toured the construction site. "I was impressed when we toured the building," said board member Diane Mahon. Board member John Hurd was also impressed, specifically with the workmanship and the progress made so far. "The layout makes sense, and I'm excited about all the facilities that Arlington High School students will have at their disposal." Board member Eric Helmuth said, "What a great value taxpayers are getting for their money. It blows my mind, in a good way, that it's keeping on budget and schedule. This will be a great resource for the students and our community." Dr. Elizabeth Homan welcomed Arlington's new superintendent of schools, Dr. Elizabeth Homan, was introduced to the board at its Aug. 9 meeting. Homan, who started on July 1, said, "I'm planning for a fall return, making sure all students get back to school safely. I'll have updates for families on what that will look like …. "It's exciting to work in such a progressive community. I had an opportunity to listen to families this summer. The next part, the most exciting, is getting into the classrooms and meeting all the kids and the leaders to see what's going on with instruction. "I plan to do a lot of listening in the next few months, and look forward to the start of the school year to get all our students back into school safety. I'm very happy to be here in Arlington. It's a good fit with my values and being able to collaborate with intelligent teams on the school and management sides," added Homan. Hurd said, "You're up to the task, and I look forward to working with you." Mahon said, "You have great credentials that Arlington is lucky to be have." Read a news feature about Homan here >> Watch the meeting recorded by ACMi: YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.