The Pentucket Regional School District is taking the first formal step in a campaign to renovate the existing Pentucket Regional High School.
After more than two years of preparation, the district submitted a statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) April 3 for a high school building project, including new athletic facilities, according to Pentucket Regional Superintendent Jeffrey Mulqueen.
“This work began in the fall of 2012 by listening to students, educators, parents and community members,” Mulqueen said. “The voice of all stakeholders provided a clear direction for immediate and long-term improvements, which accounts for our rapid progress with curriculum, class size and athletic facilities. We have accomplished a lot in two years!”
The statement highlights Pentucket’s goals of “powerful curriculum,” “small class sizes” and “new athletic facilities,” including a complex for new tennis courts, new fields for softball and field hockey, as well as practice and varsity game fields along with an eight-lane track. Also identified, as the “next target,” is a “contemporary high school facility.” Cost estimates were not released.
A response may not be received by the district until winter, according to a spokesperson.
Over the winter, the state of the existing Pentucket Regional High School became a focal point for the proposed renovations. A water main break on route 113 outside the school and accumulating snow on roofs during major snow events prompted cancellation of classes for up to one week.