Haverhill Public Schools officials mark a milestone in their plans to construct a new, $64.5 million, grades K-8 Hunking School building.
According to the school district, the Hunking School Building Committee Tuesday approved the submission of design development documents to the state school building authority.
Officials said approval by the Massachusetts School Building Authority moves the district one step closer to full approval to begin construction.
The building authority has agreed to reimburse the city more than two-thirds of the construction cost for the new Hunking School. The existing 55-year-old middle school structure has decayed due to years of water infiltration into the crawl space below the school. Haverhill voters last June passed a debt exclusion measure that will cost taxpayers between $21 and $24 million, or $71 per year over 20 years.
The new school, which will hold 1,005 students, is expected to be ready for students to move in after the 2016 winter holiday recess.