The Concord Middle School Building Committee members shared the news that final phase of the Concord Middle School project is complete with the demolition of the Sanborn Building and the installation of the fields, basketball court, and playground. Those final tasks complete a journey for the project that started with a vote at Town Meeting and a special election result that funded a feasibility study and design process in the spring of 2019. Along the way, the Building Committee navigated the project through a global pandemic which resulted in significant supply chain issues as well as record inflation. Despite the unprecedented challenges, the project was completed on schedule and $7 million under budget. This translates into a $7 million reduction in the amount of borrowing by the Town of Concord to fund the project and taxpayers will realize the savings with lower-than-expected impacts on property taxes.
The state-of-the-art educational facility’s design was informed by the Educational Plan developed by District leadership, teachers, staff, and the Concord School Committee. A key element of this plan is the Teams approach to delivering the curriculum which facilitates teaching and staff collaboration to maximize student learning. In addition to educational goals for the new facility, the building was designed and built in a manner consistent with the Town of Concord’s sustainability goals and principles. Incorporating sustainability elements such as ensuring a tight building envelope and maximizing efficiency through appropriate insulation as well as high performance windows will save money for taxpayers in future years by reducing energy costs. Other design principles were achieved such as connecting the building to nature and providing significant natural light to create an exceptional learning environment.
Building Committee Co-Chairs Dawn Guarriello and Pat Nelson stated, “the Ellen Garrison Building and the accompanying playing fields are something we can all be very proud of and will be used by Concord residents for decades. It is very exciting to see the shared community vision for this site come to fruition. We want to thank members of the Building Committee, current and past, for their dedication and for sharing their expertise during the six plus years that the Committee put into this endeavor. We also want to thank our professional team and the individuals from Owners Project Representative, Liro-Hill, the design team of SMMA & Ewing Cole, Gail Dowd from the Town’s Finance Department, and Concord Public School leaders. In particular, we want to thank Superintendent Hunter whose significant efforts were a major reason this project is a success on all aspects, from the educational plan to the financial oversight”
Dr. Hunter added, “the new building is already making an important contribution to the teaching and learning experience for students, teachers, and staff at the middle school. I want to join the Building Committee Chairs in thanking all the committee members, the professional team, and the Town departments who helped us along the way. I also want to share my gratitude to the team of teachers, administrators, and staff at the middle school for their input, patience, and flexibility as they maintained their high-level of performance during construction and the move to the new building. Ultimately, none of this could happen without the support of the residents of Concord so I am extremely grateful for their continued support of the Concord Public Schools.”
Key milestones in the project included a groundbreaking in May of 2023, a topping off ceremony in December of 2023, the opening of the new building in February of 2025, demolition of the Sanborn Building in April of 2025, and completion and turning over of the fields to the Town in October of 2025.