Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony in September 2019. The new school building is located at 255 Plainfield Street, adjacent to Chestnut Accelerated Middle School. The new school will utilize the “school within a school design,” consolidating Brightwood School on Plainfield Street (built in 1898) and Lincoln School on Chestnut Street (built in 1910) into a single building.
Mayor Sarno states, “The progress on this new state of the art school facility is amazing. Even as we continue to work together to defeat the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, our dedicated city team has pushed projects like this forward all across our city. I want to thank Superintendent Warwick, Director of Capital Asset Construction Peter Garvey, all of our School Committee members – especially School Committeewoman Maria Perez, our City Councilors – especially Ward 1 City Councilor Adam Gomez, our State Delegation including State Representative Carlos Gonzalez, Governor Baker and the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and especially all of our residents in the North End neighborhood for their patience and support as this important project continues to move along. I have no doubt that once construction is complete, this new Brightwood/Lincoln School will provide our teachers and staff, and our students and their families with the school classrooms and amenities they need to continue their education for generations to come.”
“The progress made on this project since the Topping-Off Ceremony in early March is extremely promising,” said Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick. “I can already envision the students and teachers in this building and it is a project that the community, the neighborhood and the City can take pride in. I am grateful for the partnerships that are making this dream come true for our students.”
Ward 1 City Councilor Adam Gomez stated, “Without collaboration with our community leaders, elected officials, and the other government entities, this project wouldn’t have been successful. Lastly, thank you to all the men and women in our unions who kicked it into high gear during the pandemic to finish this important educational structure. Elated is an understatement. Amazing!”
The Brightwood/Lincoln School project is over 50% complete and is on schedule. Construction should be completed around June 15, 2021. The new 155,500 square foot school building will replace the antiquated and outdated Brightwood and Lincoln schools, which date back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, respectively. The new school will have separate playgrounds for Pre-K and Kindergarten and Grades 1-5, and the building will have energy efficiency components. The total project budget is over $82 million with a construction budget of over $65 million. To date, the project is tracking about 5% below budgeted construction cost.
