TAUNTON — Superintendent-Director Dr. Alexandre Magalhaes is pleased to announce that vertical construction is finished on the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School and the project remains on schedule to open in 2026.
Magalhaes was joined on May 31 by state Sen. Marc Pacheco, state Rep. Carol Doherty, Massachusetts School Building Authority CEO Jim MacDonald, and a number of local leaders and project officials for a “topping off” ceremony marking the final pieces of the new school’s steel superstructure being hoisted into place.
“I can’t believe how fast this project went up,” Superintendent Magalhaes told the crowd gathered for the ceremony. “It was not too long ago we were doing the groundbreaking and I credit these men and women here who worked through the harsh part of winter.”
Representatives from HMFH Architects, PMA Consultants, and Consigli Construction joined those in attendance for the ceremony.
The $305 million project includes the construction of a brand-new school building that will serve over 1,400 high school students in 19 vocational programs. The new school is set to open in 2026. More background about the project can be found here: https://www.bptech.org/MSBA.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority is providing approximately $125 million in funding assistance for the project. MacDonald congratulated school and project officials for reaching the construction milestione so quickly.
“The groundbreaking was in October and here we are on the last day of May at the topping off. That’s more than pretty good, that’s amazing,” he said.
Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) said the new LEED-certified Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School will help prepare students for the jobs of the future, particularly those involved with upgrading public and private homes, businesses and infrastructure to meet sustainability goals.
“On every one of those projects, we’re going to want B-P graduates,” he said.
State Rep. Carol Doherty (D-Taunton) recognized all the school district staff, construction workers, project consultants, and representatives from the member towns in attendance as symbolic of the village needed to support the area’s students and provide a modern vocational school.
“There are jobs in the future that will be supported by the training and the development that takes place in this facility,” she said.
Students and members of the school community were able to sign a special white beam that was lifted and secured into place Friday while the gathered crowd looked on.
Work has now shifted to installing flooring and mechanical systems, such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC.
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