Construction Update: Brunswick Construction Project

Brunswick City Schools March and April Construction Update

At the end of January, the design team completed preliminary schematic designs for the new high school. These documents are the culmination of months of work, and 100+ hours from over a dozen team members. The process included reviewing the new high school’s “program of requirements” (a list of necessary spaces to be included), engaging with groups of district staff to understand their needs, and developing floor plans to incorporate these spaces which conform to square footage requirements. This effort was a significant milestone in the design process.

While several months of design are left, assembling this documentation allows the team to pause and conduct initial cost estimates while refining the project schedule. These natural break points ensure the project stays on schedule and on budget. 

With these initial estimates and schematic design complete, the team is entering “Design Development” and beginning a second round of staff engagements. During these meetings, the architectural team and the school district present schematic plans to staff to garner their feedback. Professional educators and district staff comment on classroom arrangements, school layout, initial reactions to furniture layouts, athletic and arts considerations. This is one way that the district incorporates the best educational practices into their new school. The team then incorporates this information and refines the plans based on their input.  

Performing these sessions with the first round of initial cost estimates allows the building design to move forward merging district considerations, architectural layout, along with budget and timeline considerations at once.

Over the next six months, designers will greatly dial in on the school's architectural detail level.

Site Improvements

Plans for the site improvements at Applewood and Kidder elementary schools continue to stay on track, having gone through rounds of Brunswick Planning Commission reviews. Both sites will receive expanded parking lots and reorganized site circulation to better serve those buildings and their surrounding neighborhoods. Site construction for both schools is expected to begin this summer, with the Kidder elementary project finished for the upcoming school year, and the site improvements at Applewood will be completed later in the fall of 2024.

Site Preparations

At the end of April, demolition began for Towslee Elementary and Willetts Middle School, ensuring the sites were ready for the next construction phases. Specialty demolition crews performed an extensive abatement process, where existing hazardous materials, like asbestos, have been removed from each structure. Once they were clear, initial interior demolition was conducted. This culminated in both sites being fenced off for the exterior demolition. We expect that the demolition process for both buildings will take place over the next three weeks. Crews will be further onsite sorting and recycling materials, removing the concrete school foundations, and grading the property in advance of new construction. Both sites should be completely cleared by August.

The new Maintenance Facility and Board of Education offices will be constructed on the existing Willetts site, and the new Brunswick High School will be built where Towslee is.

On May 1st, the district is hosting a construction update in the Brunswick High School Student Center at 6:00 pm. During this event, the design team will provide initial plans for the new building, answer questions, and lead an engagement exercise to collect additional input from community members. 

We look forward to seeing you there!