On Tuesday, October 17, Mayor Joshua A. Garcia and Superintendent Anthony Soto participated in the first steps of demolition work at the William R. Peck Middle School, as the city moves forward with efforts to build a new, 550-student middle school that meets the needs of a modern education. Joining them were School Building Committee members, City of Holyoke and Holyoke Public Schools employees, and contractors.
Watch a 20-second clip of the demolition work here. Watch the full press conference here (3 minutes, 29 seconds).
The $85.5-million project was officially approved in June 2023 by the City of Holyoke and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The school was vacated in June 2023.
“This community has worked together for years to bring a new middle school building to Holyoke. Our students deserve access to top-quality educational facilities that create the physical environment conducive to exploration, joy, and belonging,” said Mayor Garcia.
“I am deeply appreciative of the Holyoke community for coming together to support a new middle school building for our students and their families. It is a visible demonstration of the community’s commitment to a bright future for all our students and for all of Holyoke,” Superintendent Soto said.
The abatement, demolition, and site-leveling work is being completed by American Environmental Inc., a Holyoke-based company that submitted the lowest of five bids. This phase of the work is expected to be completed by December.
Led by the consultant team of Mount Vernon Group Architects and Anser Advisory, the City of Holyoke submitted the required 60% Construction Document to the MSBA in late August. The building project is planned to go to bid in late November and is on schedule.
The next steps for the rest of this school year are:
November 2023: Advertise for construction bids in two stages: Filed Sub-Bids followed by General Contractor bids
December 2023: Complete demolition of existing Peck School
December 2023: Complete construction documents and submit to MSBA
Early 2024: Open bids, select lowest qualified bidder
February 2024: Begin construction
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 $40 million and the MSBA will reimburse approximately $46 million.
The new school is an important component of Holyoke’s efforts to strengthen learning opportunities and reimagine the middle school experience. The new middle school will replace the poorly designed, energy-inefficient Peck Middle School that no longer meets the needs of a modern education.
More information is available on the district website.