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The addition/renovation work on David Prouty High School will result in a facility that provides students with opportunities similar to those in surrounding districts and helps them be competitive in academics, music, and athletics, according to Heather Messier, a member of both the school committee and school building committee.
In 2022, voters approved borrowing for 30 years to fund the $111 million project. In February 2024, the allocation was increased by $4.5 million using part of a state grant, for a total of $116 million. Spencer is responsible for 82% of the local share ($51 million), while East Brookfield contributes approximately $11 million.
“The Spencer and East Brookfield communities have waited a long time for this project. It was evident that Prouty Pride was alive and well in both towns when voters showed up at the ballot box as well as town meetings to be sure it came to fruition,” Messier noted.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) provides the financial balance via reimbursement for the facility, meant to address long-standing mechanical, plumbing, and electrical deficiencies as well as envelope and accessibility issues.
The school was built in 1967.
It also creates nearly 127,000 square feet of educational space, with plans to enhance and expand four vocational programs in criminal justice, childhood education, marketing, and environmental science. The project was designed by Jones Whitsett Architects to modernize academic and other areas including science and digital innovation labs, the media center, auditorium, cafeteria, administrative and guidance offices, and pre-K classrooms.
Outdoor learning space, a new gym, athletic fields, tennis courts, and parking improvements are other features of the design.
“Our students deserve to learn in a state-of-the-art facility that is tailored for 21st-century learning,” Messier noted.
Messier said prior to approval for the new facility, students were frustrated by the learning conditions and took part in successfully advocating for change.
The building committee determined that the addition/renovation route was the best option because it would allow kids to attend school in their current classrooms while the new classrooms are constructed around them.
Messier said the building committee has “worked diligently,” to make cost-effective decisions throughout the process and use materials that will increase longevity and durability.
“Every decision made is mindful of student, teacher, and staff needs. The architects have met several times throughout the year with students and teachers to be sure they are a part of the process,” she said.
Earlier this month, Superintendent Paul Haughey said that Fontaine Brothers, (the Construction Manager at Risk) is working methodically as it moves forward with the insulating concrete forms (ICFs).
He pointed out that ICFs result in cast-in-place concrete walls that are sandwiched between two layers of insulation material, allowing for energy efficiency and greater thickness. With traditional finishes, the buildings look like typical construction.
“David Prouty High School is one of the first MSBA projects to utilize this process; and as such, the framing of the forms tends to take time,” Haughey said.
Construction began in the summer of 2023 and the completion date is slated for the fall of 2026. Throughout the 2023-2024 school year which recently concluded, construction was ongoing, outside the classroom windows.
Messier said her daughters provided first-hand accounts of what it was like to experience learning during construction. Both told her “construction clamor became background noise.” They also found watching the process “interesting and fun,” Messier added.
“Teachers and administration have made every effort to educate students to the best of their ability during this phase of the project,” she said.
They have used construction to enhance learning opportunities in several classes, she said. To accommodate the loss of the gym, new classes including hiking, personal fitness and yoga were developed
“Overall, students appeared to adapt well this past school year to the many disruptions caused by the construction. I anticipate that students and staff will continue to be accommodating, resilient, and patient during the next school year,” Messier said.
A report from Nick Pimental from Colliers (owner project manager) outlined plans for late June including steelwork in the south wing and pre-K areas, concrete at the athletic apparatus, grandstand footing, and summer work in the boiler room and superintendent’s office, among other things.
