By Barbara Taormina—For the North Star Reporter
At its meeting on Oct. 22, the School Building Committee reviewed the ongoing work at the site for the new North Attleborough High School, including foundation preparation, geothermal well drilling and modular block retaining wall construction.
Project manager Steve Johnson presented drone footage of the site and pointed out different pieces of the project now underway.
The new 226,000-square-foot building is going up on the fields behind the current building. Once the new school is finished, the old building will be razed, and that space will be transformed into new playing fields.
“The building inspector comes twice a week making sure everything is done to specification,” Johnson said adding, “geothermal drilling is proceeding quite well.”
No ledge has been hit while drilling and excavating.
According to Johnson, the muti-purpose fields and the parking area with be useable in the fall of 2028. The entire project will be completed in 2029.
“We’ll keep going with this progress if the good weather holds out,” he said.
There have been no disruptions in the neighborhood since the heavy rains last month which caused flooding in neighboring yards, caused by an overwhelmed drain on the tennis courts.
The committee was told that steel would be arriving in November, and vertical construction will become visible. However, committee members also learned that because of a 50% on Canadian goods, the steel, which was originally estimated to cost $2.4 million, will now cost an additional $1.2 million.
Committee members questioned if steel could be purchased from a U.S. company, but that was not an available option. Despite the unexpected cost, the project remains under budget.
The total cost of the school is $287.8 million with $145 million committed for construction costs. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will reimburse the town $107 million of that cost.
While most of the meeting was devoted to retention ponds and construction details, one committee member said the project is being used as a learning opportunity for students, mostly juniors and seniors. Students studying design, engineering and construction are using the project as part of their studies.
Even music students have spoken with an acoustician, or sound scientist, about requirements for settings that are developed for musical performances.
Construction is expected to continue all of next year with a move-in date of August 2028.