NORWOOD – The Town of Norwood would like to invite community members to participate in the final scheduled Community Forum and tour of the current Coakley Middle School building.
The final Community Forum is scheduled for Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m., via Zoom.
Register in advance for the webinar here. Updates on the project will be presented, budget information will be shared and there will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions related to the project.
The final Coakley Middle School tour is scheduled for Saturday, March 26 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Registration is not required, and multiple brief tours will be led through the building during the time window. Residents are encouraged to attend to learn about the current building conditions and deficiencies, and learn about the improvements and design components expected of the proposed new building.
About the Project:
In 2017, the Norwood Public Schools completed a district-wide facility study to review the elementary and middle schools. Building performance, such as needed capital repairs; functional performance, such as enrollment numbers and overcrowding; and educational performance, such as existing learning spaces were the criteria used to evaluate each building.
The Coakley Middle School was identified as the school with the most building deficiencies. The current Coakley building is overcrowded and is in need of additional educational space for general and special education. Portions of the school lack natural lighting, require changes for accessibility compliance, and the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems are aging and require updates for code compliance. The building would also benefit from hands-on learning spaces and dedicated teacher collaboration spaces.
The proposed new Coakley Middle School would open in 2025 for approximately 1,070 middle school students.
Norwood residents voted to approve a Town Meeting warrant article to fund the New Coakley Middle School Project at Special Town Meeting on Monday, March 14. Residents will now vote to approve the project in a ballot vote on Monday, April 4.
Learn more about the project and subscribe to receive email updates at newcmsproject.org.
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