The new Phelps Elementary School opened this month — nine months ahead of schedule — for about a third of the students who eventually will attend school there.
Students and staff from Memorial Park Elementary School moved into the new building on Jan. 3. The plan is for the rest of the district’s students in grades 1 through 4 to join them in September 2023.
The new building is designed for 760 students.
Rockland voted in December of 2019 to raise property taxes to pay the town’s share of the estimated $86.6 million project. The Massachusetts School Building Authority has said it will pick up about $35.8 million of the cost.
“I would especially like to thank the residents of Rockland,” said Superintendent Alan Cron in a statement, “for entrusting us with this extraordinarily important project that will not only see every elementary student in Rockland under one roof in the fall, but will serve as a special place of learning for our children for decades to come.
“We are thrilled with this school,” Cron said. “It is innovative, inspiring, and practical, and we believe it will provide our elementary students everything they need to learn and thrive well into the future.”
The school is designed with eight “pods” of four classrooms each, which face each other and share a common area. There are two “maker spaces” equipped with 3D printers and other hands-on tools associated with science, technology, engineering, art, and math. The school also has several outdoor learning areas, including a large courtyard.
Phelps Elementary is located on Lieutenant Colonel Brian Duffy Way, near the current Memorial Park Elementary School and both the town’s high school and middle school.
Memorial Park Elementary will be demolished and replaced with parking and a synthetic turf playing field. Jefferson Elementary School on James Street also will be razed, and the property turned over to the Parks Department.
The Esten Elementary School will be renovated over the summer, and is expected to reopen in the fall as the Esten Early Childhood Center for all preschool and kindergarten students.
Phelps Elementary School is named after Ann and Richard Phelps. Ann Phelps was head nurse for Rockland Public Schools for more than 20 years, and was active on numerous town committees. Richard Phelps served on the School Committee for 26 years, and was involved with the building committee for both Rockland High School and the new elementary school.
The architect for the Phelps Elementary School project is Cambridge-based SMMA; Brait Builders of Marshfield was the construction contractor.
Johanna Seltz can be reached at seltzjohanna@gmail.com.
