Braintree To Present South Middle School Project Progress Report

BRAINTREE, MA — The groundbreaking ceremony for constructing a new South Middle School last week, and on Wednesday, school officials will give their first progress report for the project.

The Braintree School Building Committee will hold a Zoom meeting, at 6 p.m., which will include an information presentation on what construction has been done and what's next.

Town officials said the meeting will be recorded for later viewing, in case there are residents that can't make the meeting.

Progress so far

Late last month, the committee released a short-term construction schedule of what progress residents should expect on the new school from Bacon Construction, the East Providence firm completing the $66.7 million project. Currently, construction crews are blasting and removing rocks on site, and are expected to be done with that phase by March 8.

Town officials said blasting will happen below the soil surface, with little or no surface movement or vibration expected. Blast mats will be placed on top of the surface to prevent soil displacement. Warning horns will sound prior to each blasting sequence.

Bacon Construction is the same company that built Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and renovated Hingham High School. Both of those projects were finished on time and under budget, town officials said.

The 146,000-square-foot building will be constructed behind the existing school. It was approved through a $63 million debt exclusion that Braintree voters approved in a special election in the fall. The state was expected to pay $31 million of the cost. It's expected to open in fall 2023.

School officials said the new South Middle School will consist of three main parts. The first section will include a dining room/auditorium, media commons, two innovation labs with computers and a band room.

The second part of the school will consist of two two-story sections, organized by grade. This is where classrooms will be, with grades seven and eight in one and the lower grades in another.

The third part of the building is the athletic wing and will include two gymnasiums, one with bleachers and one without. In the middle will be a courtyard with three seating areas designed to allow teachers to take a classroom outside.