After settling on the rear of the current Pollard site for the location of the new Pollard Middle School, the last several months have focused on the Schematic Design for the new building. Regular updates about this process have been presented at School Committee and Permanent Public Building Committee/School Building Committee (PPBC/SBC) meetings throughout the year. Design choices were based on the goals of the Grade 6-8 Educational Program which was previously submitted to the MSBA. The design team from HMFH and the Construction Manager at Risk (Bond Construction) have worked to refine the building design and cost estimates.
The current estimate for the project budget is $325.4 million, which has decreased from earlier estimates after changes to the construction schedule and value engineering. This budget also includes a construction contingency of 7% to cover any unanticipated costs. The estimated cost per square foot is in line with other current school projects in the state and the town anticipates a significant reimbursement from the MSBA.
As noted on the Pollard Project website, this design and budget was approved unanimously by the School Building Committee (SBC) on June 8.
At the June 16th School Committee Meeting, the School Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the PPBC/SBC submit the Pollard Middle School Schematic Design to the MSBA. At the June 22nd PPBC/SBC Meeting, the School Building Committee also voted unanimously to submit the Schematic Design to the MSBA. The Schematic Design documents will be added to the Pollard Project website soon.
Next Steps?
This summer, the MSBA will review the Pollard Middle School Schematic Design and provide feedback on the Project Scope and Budget. Needham voters will vote on the necessary debt exclusion override to fund the project on November 3rd.
Want to learn more or get involved?
For continuing updates on the project, sign up for the Pollard Middle School Project Email Updates on the Pollard Project website.
There will be Community Meetings about the Pollard Project this summer at 6pm on Tuesday June 30, Wednesday July 22, and Wednesday August 26. Join in person at the Pollard Auditorium or via Zoom to learn about design developments and ask questions.
A Pollard Now Committee has been formed to help educate the community about the upcoming override. If you are interested in getting involved with this effort, you can sign up to volunteer on their website.