Holyoke, MA – On March 8, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia and Holyoke Public School Superintendent Anthony Soto, along with members of the Holyoke City Council, School Committee, and School Building Committee, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 550-student middle school building in Holyoke. They were joined by Mary Pichetti, executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), representatives from the Offices of Massachusetts State Senator John Velis and Representative Patricia Duffy, and students and staff who will be part of the new middle school when construction is completed.
“We’ve been working together for years to get to this important day, where we are breaking ground on a new middle school building for Holyoke students,” said Garcia. “This project shows our city’s commitment to our young residents and the hope we have for our collective future.”
The new building will replace Peck Middle School. “Today marks a big step forward towards offering a well-lit, well-designed, engaging learning environment for middle school students,” said Soto. “A building like this will provide the infrastructure for us to achieve one of our core beliefs that school is a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging.”
Erin Brunelle, vice-chair of both the Holyoke School Committee and School Building Committee, said, “This new middle school building will offer so much of what students and the community have said is important to them. The classrooms are sufficiently sized for collaborative learning and positioned to create a team environment at each grade level. Technology investments will support student learning and help prepare them for a technology-driven society. The gym and fitness area will be available for community-based programming in the evenings and on weekends. This is the type of learning environment we want for all students.”
The project was officially approved in June 2023 by the City of Holyoke and the MSBA. Of the total $85.5 million costs for demolishing Peck Middle School and building a new middle school, the City of Holyoke is responsible for paying approximately $27.1 million and the MSBA will reimburse approximately $58.4 million. Currently, the estimated project costs are under budget.
Fontaine Bros. is the general contractor for the new middle school building. Mount Vernon Group Architects is the design firm and Anser Advisory is serving as the owner’s project manager. American Environmental completed the demolition and site preparation.
Later this year, a name will be selected for the new school building, with the process to be led by a subcommittee of the School Committee. During the 2024-25 school year, staff will be identified to be assigned to the new school and a plan will be made for the successful opening of the new building. The new school is slated to open in late 2025.
