Galvin Middle School project clears community vote; district plans 800‑foot geothermal test and accepts MSBA grant

The school committee celebrated passage of the Galvin Middle School building project, which the superintendent said passed by roughly 74% of local voters. Superintendent Follin told the committee the district has moved from schematic design into detailed design and is planning educational meetings and transition work for a 5–8 grade configuration.

Follin said the district submitted its certification to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and will accept a $72,000,000 grant toward the project. "We have agreed to have a funding plan and we're going to accept that $72,000,000 grant from MSBA," he said.

As part of the project, the district announced a single geothermal test well. Officials said setup would occur Dec. 23–24, and drilling would begin Dec. 26 at 8 a.m., supervised by Consigli and a subcontractor with Board of Health permitting. The district warned neighbors the drilling would be noisy and described the well depth as 800 feet; staff emphasized there would be no work on Christmas Day and that the drilling would be confined to a grassy rear area with construction fencing in place.

Follin said the project team will continue community outreach, and cited extensive public engagement during the campaign — more than 145 meetings and a project website — as key to the successful vote. District staff said most construction work will not begin until summer 2025 and that educational planning and teacher certification alignment is already underway to prepare for the new building.