Milford Middle School project on target and under budget

Milford School District held a beam signing event as the last beam was raised on the Milford Middle School project

On Monday, September 16, Milford School District held a beam signing ceremony for the Milford Middle School, signifying a milestone in the reconstruction of the historic building. That evening, at the regular meeting of the Board of Education, Dr. Sara Hale announced that the district had spent around $60 million on the project with a budget of $72.2 million and that it was expected that the project would remain under budget. She also stated that the opening timeline was on target.

“We participated in a beam signing ceremony event this afternoon with the leadership of Dr. Hale and Dr. Frampton and the construction crew,” Dr. Bridget Amory, Superitendent, said. “We were able to have a small group of individuals come together officially to sign one of the beams and we were able to use the crane and actually hoist the beam into place, which is now on the edge of the cafeteria. So, we are really pleased with the progress.”

Dr. Amory also pointed out that the project was under budget with no additional tax increases expected.

For the beam signing ceremony, Students from Benjamin Banneker, Lulu Ross, and Mispillion Elementary Schools, who will be among the first to walk the halls of the restored Milford Middle School, took part in this special ceremony. Participating students included:

Emariyana Chandler and Victor Cerano who are students at Ross; Ci’Nayah Boyd and George Thompson who are students at Mispillion and Virginia Wallace and Princeton Jackson who are students at Banneker. Ashley Lockwood and Louise Holleger, both teachers, were also present to show their support.

The Milford School District Board of Education and administration, including Milford Middle School Principal, Dr. Susan Frampton, were present alongside key project partners, including Richard Y. Johnson representatives Dean Johnson and Dave Sizemore, along with Tim Skibiki from BSA+A. Special thanks were extended to contractor RC Fabricators for putting in additional work hours to help assist in the final beam lift.

Students from each elementary school were invited to sign as they will be the first students to walk through the halls of the reconstructed school

“We have worked hard to maintain the balance of preservation with progress. The 1929 structure has been salvaged, while non-historical additions have been removed and will be replaced with new facilities designed to meet the needs of a 21st-century learning environment,” Dr. Hale said. “This project will also help ease capacity issues throughout the district and accommodate anticipated growth in the Milford community, as part of the district’s redistricting plan.”

The Milford Middle School will open its doors to students in the Fall of 2025.  Additionally, the district, in an effort to combat the population growth of the Greater Milford area will be transitioning to new grade configurations and feeder patterns.

The Milford School District is deeply grateful to the community for its continued support of this important project. As construction continues, the Milford School District invites the community to stay tuned for future opportunities to visit and celebrate the completed project. A rededication to the Milford 11, an open house for the community, and more are planned in the upcoming months.