Granite Falls Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony Held

GRANITE FALLS, NC (April 29, 2019) — After many years of planning and discussion, Granite Falls Middle School officially breaks ground on its new facility on the afternoon of Monday, April 29, 2019.

Granite Falls Middle School Principal Melissa Costin welcomed all that were in attendance.

Special music, “Inscription of Hope,” was provided by the Granite Falls Middle School 7^th Grade Chorus under the direction of Granite Falls Middle School Choir Director Justin Gray.

A school has been on this site for 133 years which is known as “Schoolhouse Hill.” Granite Falls Mayor Barry Hayes stated, “We all have great memories of this school. The best memory I have is a rush of smiling kids flooding the hallways as classes changed.”  Mayor Hayes went on to say, “My prayer for the future students is that they too have good memories of smiling faces.”

In the planning stages, there were discussions about the placement of the new facility which involved the large shade trees in front of the school and the old Oak Tree in back of the school. The old Oak Tree in back of the school was dated back to the Revolutionary War by an arborist and was said to be “mighty and strong.” The architect, Vern L. McKissick of McKissick Associates Architects, made changes to the plans to save these old trees.

The architect said the old 1935 section of the school will be reconstructed into a modern 21^st century school – “a Knowledge Commons & Technitorium for 700 middle-schoolers.” The “parallel drive” in front of the school will not be a problem anymore as new entrances will be constructed. A soccer field will be added on the south end of the campus. The gymnasium will receive air conditioning and an elevator.

Construction will be completed in stages.

Old and new buildings will be used simultaneously until the construction is completed.

Caldwell County Schools Superintendent Dr. Donald Phipps spoke about “realizing a dream” for many. The project will be “innovative and progressive while preserving the past, creating new possibilities and carrying on a legacy of learning.”

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2019.06.03-GFMS Site Plan

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Exterior, Site and Interior Views

 

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Project Timeline

May 2, 2019…
Preparation Work (fences go up, staging areas marked)

June 15, 2019…
Site Work Begins (trucks, earth moving)

June 2020 to December 2020…
Renovations to Existing Classrooms

June 2019 to June 2020…
New Addition Construction (between gym and corner building)

January 2021 to April 2021…
Partial Demolition of Blue-Roof Building (to become athletic support)

April 2021 to October 2021…
Construction of New Field (on corner)

June 2020 to December 2021…
Renovations to Historic Front Building (to become Commons & Technotorium)

February/March of 2022 (Originally Nov 1, 2021)…
Final Completion