Worcester to Break Ground on $58 Million Nelson Place School

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Friday, June 05, 2015

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Artist rendering of new Nelson Place School.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new $58 million Nelson Place School will be held on Monday. The event will feature local, state, and school officials to celebrate the beginning steps to build a new state of the art learning environment that will replace the 88-year-old structure that now stands.

The project is funded in part by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which will contribute $33 million. The City of Worcester will fund the balance of the project cost, expected at $25 million dollars.

The new Nelson Place will be 111,682 square feet and will be designed to hold 600 students. The new space will allow an expanded pre-kindergarten and special education programs. The current Nelson Place School holds nearly 500 students in half the space that is considered acceptable to meet educational standards by the MSBA.

Initial work will begin this summer including securing the existing school from the construction site, relocating the playground, adding more staff parking, and establishing entrances to the construction site.

Construction work will being in March. The new school is expected to be ready by August 2017. The existing school will remain open and fully operational until the new school is ready.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 9:15 AM on Monday, June 8 at 35 Nelson Place.