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Rightsizing Project Propels Forward!

Since voters approved the $30.9 million Marinette School District Referendum in November of 2020, the District and consultants from Somerville Architects and Engineers and CD Smith Construction have been working diligently to bring the Rightsizing vision to reality.The Rightsizing plan will consolidate District facilities from the current six-building configuration down to four. This change will enable the District to operate more efficiently and make the best use of limited resources. To support district-wide consistency and school spirit, the remaining two elementary schools will be renamed. Effective for the 2022-23 school year, the Merryman Elementary building will serve all students in early childhood through first grade and be renamed Marinette Primary School. The Park Elementary building will serve all students in second through fourth grade and be renamed Marinette Intermediate School.

“This is a very exciting time for our school district and our community.  The renaming of our reconfigured buildings is another step in the process to assure operational efficiency and educational excellence.  The buildings will have new looks, new grade level configurations, and new names, but the excellent education and rich tradition of Marine pride will continue.”

All remaining buildings will see improvements as a result of the referendum work. The District is working with Somerville and CD Smith on creative ways to honor the legacy of former Marinette School District buildings within the remaining four. During the summer of 2021 through the summer of 2022, renovations and new additions will occur at Marinette Primary and Marinette Intermediate Schools, including new library spaces adjacent to the commons to create active and engaging learning environments, prominent front entrances, and more natural light through expanded views to the outside. The intermediate school will include a new gym, while the primary school will include a multi-purpose room well-suited for the District’s youngest learners. Additional enhancements at both schools include new special education spaces and new classroom wings with collaboration rooms for one-on-one and small group instruction. Renovations at the middle and high school are planned for 2022.

“The partnership between the district, the selected design agent, and the construction management firm has been very uplifting.  They’ve made every effort to gather input from the various school departments and stakeholders, to understand the district’s overall focus and needs, and to include the district in each step of the design process,” shared Tom Tickler, the district’s Facilities Director. “Not only am I excited for the students, staff and community to see the final additions and renovations, but I am confident the educational impact these changes will have on our students will be seen for many years to come.”  

Somerville Architects and Engineers have spent the past five months designing and engineering the new additions while CD Smith coordinated construction budgets and schedules. Point of Beginning civil engineers is working with the District and the City to complete the site layout, design, and engineering. The projects are on schedule, with construction documents slated to be complete and ready to bid to contractors in May, 2021. The District is planning a groundbreaking ceremony for June and will share details as they become available.