News from the School Building Committee

The following press release has been sent out by the School Building Committee:



The Duxbury School Building Committee (SBC) is pleased to announce that schematic design documents for the proposed co-located middle and high school were completed and submitted on time to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) last week. Mount Vernon Group Architects, the Owner’s Project Manager, KV Associates, Duxbury Public Schools and the School Building Committee (SBC) have been developing the plans since the spring, when the town voted to approve funding for schematic design. In addition to its regular open meetings, the SBC and Mount Vernon Group Architects have held numerous meetings with a variety of Duxbury boards and officials including public safety, highway safety, design review, alternative energy, recreation and others to discuss the plans and gather feedback.

The comprehensive submission contains the preliminary plans and specifications, final design program, environmental assessment, traffic report, geotechnical report, ADA review, energy and sustainability goals, and other documents as required by MSBA. A copy of the submission is available for review at the Duxbury Free Library.

At the next SBC meeting on Thursday August 25th, the SBC will review the cost estimate prior to its submission to MSBA. The MSBA Board of Directors will review the schematic submission and vote to accept the project at its September 28th Board meeting. Following approval by the Board, the project will be brought to the Duxbury voters to approve funds for final design and construction. If funds are approved this fall, the design will be completed and bid by late spring and construction would commence in June.

The SBC will be hosting public forums in September and October to present the project and provide an opportunity to address residents’ questions. In addition, presentations to the Board of Selectmen and School Committee will be recorded and televised on local public access channels. Information on the forum dates and times will be available on the school website, www.duxbury.k12.ma.us, and posted at Town Hall as they are scheduled.

Schematic Design Milestone -- and Time to Get Active Again!

On Friday, August 19, the proposed school building project achieved a significant milestone. The school building project team -- Mount Vernon Group, KV Associates, the school building committee and the Duxbury Public Schools department -- submitted a package of schematic designs and supporting documentation to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. This package included:

• Project Overview
• Traffic Analysis
• Environmental and Existing Building Assessment
• Geotech/Geoenvironmental Analysis
• Program Analysis (Final Design Program)
• Code Analysis
• Utility Analysis
• Massing Analysis
• MA-CHPS Scorecard
• Certification Letter for MA-CHPS
• ADA Accessibility
• Design Narratives for Structural, Plumbing, HVAC, Fire Protection, Electrical, Information Technology
• Outline Specifications (8-1/2x11)
• Room Data Sheets
• Schematic Drawings for Siting Analysis, Site Development Plans, Building Floor and Roof Plans, Building Exterior Elevations, Interior Elevations of Typical Classroom and Science Lab, Plumbing (major equipment and primary distribution only), HVAC (major equipment and riser diagrams only), Sprinkler (major equipment and standpipes only), Electrical (major equipment and riser diagrams only), Information Technology (major equipment and riser diagrams only)
• Preliminary life cycle cost analyis for Plumbing and HVAC
• Construction Cost Estimate
• District's Anticipated Reimbursement Rate with Incentive Points
• Project Budget
• Updated design work plan
• Project Schedule
• Value Engineering Opportunities

This represents a significant step forward in the project -- not to mention a significant amount of work. And the designer was chosen only at the end of April, less than four months ago!

A copy of this submission set is available to the public for review at the library.

The next step is for additional estimating to take place, and for the SBC and designer to prepare for a special town meeting and election (dates to be determined) to appropriate construction funds, including presentations to town committees and community groups. The MSBA board must also approve the submission, and will vote on it at their September 28 board meeting; the school building project team has been working closely with the MSBA in the process of preparing this submission.


If funds are approved this fall at Town Meeting and Town Election, the design will be completed and bid by late spring. Construction would commence in June.


DuxburyCARES would like to take this opportunity to say BRAVO! and THANK YOU! to the building project team that pulled this together. The work you have done on behalf of Duxbury's students -- and Duxbury as a whole -- is noted and appreciated.

This is also the time for members of the community to get active again. It's time to get busy and get talking to make sure this project passes at Town Meeting and Town Election. We cannot be complacent, make any assumptions about passage of the project, or take any vote for granted. We must all educate ourselves and our neighbors so that this proposed building project moves from proposal to reality -- for our children and future generations of children to come.

We'll start to be more active here, and on Facebook and Twitter to help keep the community informed. Please email us at DuxburyCARES@gmail.com to learn how you can help.

What DuxburyCARES did on Summer Vacation

DuxburyCARES spent the summer in... Duxbury! The sign explored the whole town, checking out the historic, the picturesque, and the fun -- in short, everywhere that will benefit from and be impacted by the proposed new school building. Seems the only place the sign didn't stop was Farfar's (lactose-intolerant!).

Check out our vacation album. Don't recognize a location? Your child might know...