NHS Expansion Hit By Delays, New School On Target: Superintendent

NEEDHAM, MA — School may be out but it there hasn't been a lack of activity in Needham school biidlings this summer.

In an update on projects around the district, Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst wrote that while the Sunita L. Williams is on track to be open next summer in anticipation for the 2019-20 school year, the Needham High School renovation and expansion has hit a few bumps in the road.

Originally expected to be done by the start of school, the $12 million high school project that will add 10 classroom is expected to take a few extra weeks to complete.

"For example, while the interior renovations will be mostly complete and ready for students, the expansion will require finishing work. The gym will still require additional work and will be unavailable for a few weeks," Gutekanst wrote in his recent update.

Students will be assigned to temporary spaces until the end of the work. The traffic pattern around the school will remain as it was in the spring.

The elementary school project, however, is on schedule with exteriors being built and interior classrooms roughed out with walls, conduit, fire suppression systems, and HVAC components.

"A quick tour of the building allows one to see how the large classrooms will provide ample space for teaching and learning, and the unique media center design and large gym and cafe spaces are quickly taking shape," Gutekanst wrote.

In other projects, Mitchell Elementary School is getting a new playground, new flooring is being installed at Broadmeadow Elementary School, and a bathroom renovation project has brought new plumbing, fixtures, walls, and handicapped accessibility to Pollard Middle School.

Click here to read the full update.

Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch