Duval County Public Schools Breaks Ground on New Middle School

Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Fla., recently celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony for a new middle school, according to a news release. Chaffee Trail Middle School will play home to students in grades 6–8 and is currently scheduled to open before the start of the 2024–25 school year. The district partnered on the project with architecture and engineering firm Zyscovich, LLC, and Gilbane Building Company.

Funding for the $50-million construction project comes from a $1.7-billion capital improvement program involving a half-cent sales tax that local voters approved in 2020. The new facility will measure in at 124,259 square feet and include amenities like 26 classrooms, a Career and Technical Education Center, science demonstration labs, skills development labs, and Exceptional Student Education classrooms, according to local news. The new school will have a capacity for 994 students.

“We are committed to building a better future for the communities in which we live and work and for the generations to come,” said Gilbane Building Company Area Manager Adam Verducci. “With that, we as a company have committed to generating $4 billion in awards over five years to certified minority and women-owned businesses (M/WBE), disadvantaged, LGBTBE, and veteran-businesses enterprises and are proud to work alongside a local Minority/Woman owned environmental partner and other small and diverse partners for construction management support and outreach.”

The new school will feature outdoor athletic amenities for football and soccer baseball and softball, tennis, basketball, and track, the news release reports.

Other new projects being funded by the capital improvement plan are set to include a $58-million new high school and a replacement facility for Rutledge Pearson Elementary, local news reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.