May 26, 2026
Dear Burlington Community,
In just a few weeks, Whiting-Turner will hand over the keys to our brand new building! We’ve received hundreds of requests to get inside the building, and we are ready to welcome you! Starting Saturday, June 20, School Board members will be offering tours every weekend through September. We’ll also be holding a few Wednesday tours in late July and early August. Please sign up for a spot today!
In addition to tours, we also want you to save the date and join us on August 22nd at 11AM for a Grand Opening and Block Party! We will have free food and performances, activities for kids, and community partners. Please plan to join us for this huge community event so that we can celebrate this building together. We promise to keep the speechifying to a minimum!
Thank you all for your continued support of this project.
Tom
New Walk Through Video – Can’t wait for a tour? Check out our newest virtual tour! Big thank you to MyChamplainValley and WCAX, who have also taken a look at the building, and to WPTZ for their great story on Evergreen Roofing’s ties to the building. (And don’t forget you can see all of our videos on the project website!)
Financial Status – This memo explains that the project’s total budget is sufficient to complete all of the work in the project plan. Due to strong fiscal management, we have projected that the project’s total available revenue will be sufficient to cover the full $204 million of expenditures despite borrowing $6 million less than voters authorized for the project. The reduction in anticipated borrowing, $159 million instead of $165 million, is estimated to save taxpayers nearly $475,000 in debt service during the coming year and was made possible by an offsetting increase in revenue from interest and premiums.
Monument Sign – The design is almost complete and finished, and we cannot wait to install our new sign, which seeks to create a sense of connection to the building and our community!
Solar – Solar work has been completed, and the system has been operational since Thursday, March 12th! SunCommon installed more than 400 solar panels, which will provide 10-15% of the building’s power needs. This is just one more step we are taking towards achieving LEED Gold Certification for the building!
Other Ongoing Site Activities We have moved the salvaged bleacher parts into the new gym, and the contractor is almost done reconstructing the bleachers… all that is left is to get our “BHS” back into the middle! We have also installed the sound system in the gym and unloaded numerous truckloads of new furniture into the building. We also have lots of items from the warehouse, and some items, like bikes from Macy’s, have been moved into the new school. Some large equipment has been moved into the woodshop, and the bookcases are starting to arrive in the new library. We also tested the Blower door and achieved an air leakage rate of 0.09 CFM50/SF, surpassing the specified target of 0.12 CFM50/SF. Last, but not least, the mobile in the commons has been unveiled from its protective cover and looks very impressive! These are just a few of the many activities happening in the building, getting us ready to host graduation on June 16, offer tours in late June, and hold our Grand Opening and Block Party on August 22nd!
