Chapman Middle School Ribbon Cutting and Open House

 

 

Weymouth, MA – More than six years after Mayor Robert Hedlund gave the green light to pursue a Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) grant for a New Maria Weston Chapman Middle School, the town will celebrate the project’s completion this Saturday with a ribbon cutting ceremony and the first public tours of the new school.

“The taxpayers made a significant investment to make a new Chapman Middle School a reality. We invite the community to come see the tremendous value and positive impact we are receiving,” said Mayor Hedlund. “It is an exciting time for Weymouth’s educational system and our community as a whole. I appreciate the effort of so many who are
responsible for getting this project approved and finished, on-time and under budget. It’s another example of the tremendous progress we have been making in Weymouth as well as the latest example of the effective working relationship between the town and the school administration.”

Mayor Hedlund appointed his chief of staff, Ted Langill, to chair the School Building Committee in 2016 and oversee the $164.2 million project which was completed in collaboration with the Weymouth Public School District, the community, and its partners. The new two-story innovative learning facility located at 1051 Commercial Street will open on-time and under budget, despite the heart of the project happening during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Success is all about the team, and we simply have the best,” said Chief of Staff Langill. The New Chapman process began in 2014 when former Mayor Sue Kay and the School Administration began working on a Statement of Interest (SOI). The Chapman SOI was filed in 2015 by Mayor Kay, Superintendent Ken Salim and School Committee Chair Sean Guilfoyle after a vote of the School Committee and Town Council. In 2016, the MSBA invited the Town into the beginning stages of a long process after getting a commitment from Mayor Hedlund that Weymouth would be
committed to seeing the process through and developing a funding plan.

 

After a $1 million feasibility study, including visioning sessions and much stakeholder and community input, the School Building Committee chose one middle school for 1,470 students in grades six through 8 as its preferred option. The option eliminated the extra transition students experienced with two middle schools, and meant shifting 5 th grade back to primary.

New construction will include three academic wings surrounding a series of centrally located exploratory labs, a full 850-seat auditorium theater, a fully renovated existing gym space, library media center, culinary teaching lab, special education rooms, collaborative community outreach spaces, and more.

 

“On behalf of Weymouth Public Schools, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Mayor Robert Hedlund, the School Building Committee, Massachusetts School Building Committee, Weymouth School Committee, WPS staff, the incredible project managers, contractors, and community for their unwavering support to make this project possible,” said Superintendent Robert Wargo. “The quality and attention to detail that went into this building is nothing short of extraordinary, and thanks to the collaboration and exceptional planning that went into this project we now have the
ability to foster new instructional practices within this state of the art space. When we open our doors in a few short weeks this beautiful building will evolve into a gold star middle school that any student would be proud to attend.”

The total project budget, including the $1 million feasibility study, is $164.2 million, with the MSBA reimbursing the Town of Weymouth for 61% of all eligible costs, which is expected to total $57.3 million. With the Town funding $10 million of the project cost within the tax levy, on April 30, 2019, Weymouth voters overwhelmingly approved a debt exclusion override for the remainder of the project cost, $96.9 million.

“From its inception, to its realm of academic impact, this is a historic project,” said School Committee Chair John Sullivan.  “Successful schools are a part of the foundation for thriving communities, and seeing this school at completion is an incredible visual of the path of opportunity to a well-rounded education, skills, and experiences here in Weymouth. We are incredibly proud of this project, and thankful to all those involved.”

Abatement and Demolition of the former Chapman Middle School started in March of 2020. The project’s abatement and demo plan earned world attention as a finalist for the prestigious World Demolition Awards. Costello Dismantling, the New Chapman Middle School abatement and demolition contractor, was one of three world finalists for the 2020 “Recycling & Environmental Demolition Award,” for working with BOND Building to develop an innovative, cost-saving plan for abating 14,000 tons of asbestos-covered material. Their plan and investment in a dustless vapor blasting system with vacuum collection resulted in 10,000 tons of concrete was made suitable for local recycling and beneficial reuse.

With a tight project schedule to meet the September 2022 school opening goal, construction of the New Chapman Middle School began in July of 2020, while abatement and demolition continued. After two years of construction, substantial completion was achieved on August 1, 2022.

More than 50 different contractors, companies and consultants were a part of the New Chapman Middle School project. The School Building Committee, with the guidance and collaboration of the MSBA, chose Hill International as the Owner’s Project Manager, HMFH Architects as the Project Designer and Bond Building as the Construction Manager. “It is the best team I have ever been a part of,” said Langill. “This was an enormous project, with many obstacles, that had to be completed under a tight deadline. There was little room for error. Hill, HMFH and BOND were
outstanding in managing this project and achieving all of our goals. The Chapman Project should be a model for teamwork, including the MSBA as well as school and town officials and staff.”