Arlington Finalizes $234M+ Budget For High School Construction

ARLINGTON, MA — The Arlington High School Building Project signed a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract with Consigli Construction, the project's construction manager, on Dec. 3. The contract is the final step in pricing the AHS Building Project and allows the town to direct Consigli to proceed with completing the project.

"With so much uncertainty in the world today, it is a relief to have budget stability when building a new high school," Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said. "We’re especially pleased to be able to add back into the project a couple highly desired features."

Items returning to the project include lighting at the new athletic fields, the Minuteman Bikeway ramp and a signal at Mill Street. The town was able to bring these and other features back due to the current economy and a competitive bidding process. The GMP contract commits Consigli Construction to a total project cost of $234,287,347.

"The project team is doing a remarkable job on the project so far," Jeffrey Thielman, AHS Building Committee chair, said in a statement. "This milestone is an assurance to Arlington residents that the new high school will be managed to budget."

Phase 1 construction of the first two wings of the new high school started in October and will be open to students in early 2022. The multi-phase project will be completed in 2025.

"It's exciting to see Arlington’s vision for a modern, educational environment for our students become a reality," Superintendent Kathleen Bodie said.

Consigli has a proven track record of success working on similar local school projects near occupied school buildings and residential neighborhoods, town officials said. The company's local portfolio includes work at Winchester High School, Methuen High School, Stoughton High School and Holbrook's Pre-K-12 School, as well as current assignments at Attleboro High School and Framingham's Fuller Middle School.

Additional project partners include Skanska USA, the owner's project manager, and HMFH Architects, the project designer.

Arlington is partnering with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to receive state funding for a significant portion of the project. Additional information, including how to subscribe to weekly Construction Updates, is available on the project website at www.ahsbuilding.org.