Millbrook School District capital project still in earliest phase

MILLBROOK — Since voters approved planned construction work throughout the Central School District, the district board decided on a phased approach to the work in order to move ahead with the most pressing needs.

A statement from Elliot Garcia, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Personnel, outlined the two phases in three parts and gave a timeline for completion.

“The process is detailed and lengthy, but necessary to be certain that the work is done properly,” Garcia said, adding that the start of actual construction work is still months away.

The project is currently in the Schematic Design Phase, Garcia explained, a step when all of the project plans are drawn, including engineering, architectural design and equipment specifications. Part of this design phase is to create a detailed assessment of current conditions such as precise measuring of each window slated for replacement.

Once the detailed plan drawings are completed, they need to be submitted to the state’s Education Department for review and to make any modifications to meet state law and building codes. It will take time to complete the back-and-forth negotiation of those findings before the phased project can go out for bid, Garcia said.

As bids are received, they will be opened publicly and reviewed by district administration and then passed on to the Board of Education for awarding of contracts. Construction will begin soon after, to be scheduled by the contractors.

The overall project has been broken into three phases to allow the most pressing repair work, involving less design work, to progress more swiftly through the process, Garcia explained. An example is the work that is critically needed at the Middle School.

Design work on the two parts of Phase One is to be done first. The design of the Middle School roof replacement, HVAC replacement and Energy Performance began in June, Garcia reported. Plans for that aspect are projected to be submitted to the state Education Department in March 2026. Under that schedule, work might be expected to occur over two summers, 2027 and 2028, when school is not in session.

The other Phase One work will involve the Middle School accessibility renovations and window replacement, with work projected to occur over a nine-month period between July 2026 and May 2027.

The design of Phase Two — Elm Drive and Alden Place — would be slated to begin in June 2026 with plans submitted to the state by spring 2027 and construction projected to occur in summer 2027 aiming for completion in summer 2028.

Overall, the entire project will likely take a minimum of three years to complete, Garcia said of the timeline.

“These much-needed improvements to our buildings will help us better build our students for their futures, and we can only do so thanks to the incredible support we received from our voters,” Garcia said.