Dorchester 02 staff report demolition, asbestos abatement and classroom additions across multiple schools

Dorchester 02 district staff reported progress Tuesday on several school construction and renovation projects, including demolition and asbestos abatement at Somerville Elementary, foundation work at Sand Hill Elementary for a 10-classroom addition, and design activity for high-school renovations and new wings.

District facilities staff said demolition of an existing wing at Somerville Elementary began June 2 and asbestos abatement is under way; construction documents for the project have been submitted to the Office of School Facilities (OSF) and the permitting process for land disturbance and other state and county permits is in progress. Staff said final construction documents are expected to be uploaded by July 21 so work can proceed into subsequent construction phases.

At Sand Hill Elementary, staff reported stem walls are in place for the pad and crews are installing underground electrical and plumbing conduits. Staff said backfilling and compaction will follow and, weather permitting, a slab pour is expected as soon as next week. The work at Sand Hill will provide 10 additional classrooms and associated restrooms and a connecting hallway to the existing building.

Staff also described design-phase activity at several high schools. An architecture-and-engineering (A&E) proposal for design work at Fort Pembroke High School’s Health and Wellness wing was described as roughly $200,000; staff said schematic design is substantially complete and the district has a procurement vehicle in place to hire architects and engineers. Separate schematic designs for high-school gym and restroom projects were expected in June from the district’s design partners; the district plans to review those with its construction manager, Thomas and Turner.

Renovation work at Saltwater High School was noted in passing: staff said restroom renovations done about eight to 10 years ago used wall-mounted sinks that are not resilient enough for current use and will be addressed during the planned work.

Staff described broader timing and site issues affecting multiple projects. They said phases 8 and 10 of a developer’s residential project must reach final plat before land conveyance to the county can proceed; attorneys for the county and the developer met recently and staff characterized that as hopeful progress. Staff said, if an agreement is reached by July 1 and preconstruction proceeds on schedule, the district expects to move through preconstruction and have a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) in hand so construction could begin in January and the new facility could open in the fall of 2027.

District staff raised a separate safety and site-planning concern after learning that a county road and a bus route run close to one campus building and media center. Staff said the proximity will require rethinking campus circulation — including car-rider loops, multipurpose rooms and cafeterias — and recommended hiring an architectural firm to evaluate phased options that maintain classroom capacity and improve safety. Staff proposed a two-pronged approach: short-term reconfiguration to address immediate safety/traffic needs and longer-term construction to add classroom capacity and reorganize arrival/ dismissal circulation.

Staff also suggested reviving a standing joint meeting with county officials to coordinate infrastructure, right-of-way and traffic matters; they said a joint meeting in the past was helpful for aligning district needs with county timelines. Attendees noted ongoing schedule sensitivity related to a March 2029 county milestone that affects timing for some projects.

The items reported were discussion and status updates from district staff; no formal votes or binding decisions were recorded in the meeting transcript.