Recent News
8/29/22 - First day of school in the new building!
On October 15, 2022, the district held a grand opening ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new Boardwalk Campus school building. Click here to see a video of the ceremony.
12/10/19 and 12/17/19 - Acton and Boxborough voters support the school building project
At their 12/10/19 Special Town Meetings and again at the towns' special elections on 12/17/19, residents in Acton and Boxborough voted to support the construction of a new school building, which will house the Douglas, Gates and district preschool programs. Thanks to the members of the community for their support!
Watch our Community Forums from 11/4/19 in Acton and 11/14/19 in Boxborough
On Monday, November 4, the Building Committee hosted a community forum at the Douglas Elementary School. This forum was videotaped by Acton TV. A second forum was held on Thursday, November 14 in the Grange Hall in Boxborough, with a video produced by Littleton TV. Click here to watch these and other related videos.
Building Project Public Forums Scheduled in Acton and Boxborough
The School Building Committee will be holding a series of informational public forums in Acton and Boxborough:
~Monday, Nov. 4 - At Douglas: Tour at 6:30pm; Forum at 7:00pm
~Thursday, Nov. 14 - Forum at 7:00pm in Boxborough Grange Hall (Town Hall meeting room)
~Monday, Dec. 2 - At Douglas: Tour at 6:30pm; Forum at 7:00pm
Please join us to learn more about the building project and have your questions answered.
10/30/19 - MSBA Approves Douglas-Gates Building Project
On Wednesday, October 30, 2019, the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District received formal authorization from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to proceed with the proposed Douglas-Gates building project. Click here to read more.
9/26/19 - Building Cost Estimates Revised Based on SBC Updated Project Budget
At its meeting on September 25, 2019, the School Building Committee reviewed a revised Total Project Budget of $117,328,519. This revised budget is approximately $500,000 less than the initially voted budget, reflecting a reduction in fees for architectural design and project management. CLICK HERE to see the updated cost estimates.
9/4/19 - SBC Voted Project Budget
At its meeting on August 28, 2019, the School Building Committee voted a Total Project Budget of $117,833,519. This project budget will be submitted to the MSBA on September 11 as part of the Schematic Design submission. The district anticipated that the MSBA will vote on this project at its Oct. 30 board meeting. CLICK HERE to see a breakdown of the cost estimates including projected impact on the single family tax bill.
Acton Green Advisory Board Sends Memo of Support for Sustainability Initiatives
CLICK HERE to read the memo from the Acton Green Advisory Board
Building Committee Votes to Hire a Construction Manager at Risk
At its June 12, 2019 meeting, the Building Committee voted to hire a Construction Manager at Risk. Among many benefits, this process will allow the district to hire a sophisticated, experienced firm based on qualifications, and to save time on the schedule through fast tracking and pre-purchasing.
CLICK HERE to see a presentation made by Skanska on May 29, 2019 about the two approaches to working with a general contractor, Construction Manager at Risk versus Design-Bid-Build.
Reimbursable and Non-Reimbursable Spaces
At its June 12, 2019 meeting, the building committee reviewed an analysis of reimbursable and non-reimbursable spaces in our current design. The building committee is continually looking for solutions to increase reimbursement.
CLICK HERE for details and more information.
School Building Project Community Forum - June 10
PLEASE COME to a community forum to see the latest design developments for the new school project and share your feedback!
CLICK HERE for details and more information.
See the Latest Interior and Exterior Designs
At its May 29, 2019 meeting, the Building Committee discussed the exterior and interior designs for the building.
CLICK HERE to see a presentation by Arrowstreet with drawings of the latest designs.
Landscaping, Parking and Site Considerations
At its May 8, 2019 meeting, the Building committee discussed landscaping, parking and site-related issues as well as exterior design elements.
CLICK HERE to see a presentation by Arrowstreet with additional information.