BHS/BTC Building Project

BHS/BTC Schedule Update – September 13, 2023

Updated Schedule – WT’s Final GMP also provides a very basic schedule update. The updated schedule assumes a worst-case scenario Substantial Completion date of April 26th, 2026, and a move-in-ready date of July 10th, 2026. While this is later than I had hoped for, I believe that being able to move into this building before the start of the 2026/27 school year is critical and I am glad to see this is still possible after the unanticipated setbacks the project has faced from the Asbestos findings on the foundation this summer. Still, our team will continue efforts to fast-track the schedule so that delays do not push us any further back. 

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see construction photos!

Demolition Photos and Videos
Pre-demolition Interior Photos
October 2024 Interview with Brian Leet of Freeman French Freeman

Short Video Update Series:
1. Demo Begins!
2. Dust Monitoring
3. Sure-pack dust vs. demolition
4. Indoor abatement
5. Water Runoff
6. Truck Washing Stations!
7. Glue Daubs
8. Preparing for Construction!
9. Let’s Talk about Ledge
10. We are Pouring Concrete!
11. Time Lapse!
12. Demolition Complete
13. Steel Going Up
14. Courtyard Construction
15. Gymnasium
16. Auditorium
17. Fireproofing
18. Community Invited to Sign the Beam
19. Raising the Final Beam (Topping-off Ceremony)
20. Superintendent Flanagan’s Powerful Speech on the Hopes for the Building (below!)
21. How to Support Construction through Vermont Winters

These renderings were created in the fall of 2022, well before the completion of Construction Drawing documents. They are for conceptual purposes only and many of them will likely change substantially.

Blasting Notification
Maine Drilling and Blasting Presentation

One Page Project Update (September 2023)
White + Burke Project Cost Update, Revised with New GMP Numbers (September 2023)

White + Burke BHS/BTC Project Cost Update (September 2023)
Whiting Turning Memo Regarding Cost Drivers (September 2023)
Updated Project Cost Estimate (September 2023)

BHS/BTC Design Update (August 2023)

Updated Project Cost Estimate (May 2023)

BHS/BTC 2025 Schedule Update Memo (March 30, 2023)

Corrective Action Plan (for environmental remediation)

Project Cost Estimate (August 2022)

Other Public Documents (including site plans, needs assessments, etc.)

Presentation from Vermont DOC and Environmental Consultants (Fuss and O’Neill)

In August of 2020, while planning for a major renovation project, BSD discovered extensive PCB contamination in the air throughout the high school and technical center campus, forcing the District to close the entire campus to in-person learning. We began thinking extensively about the next steps for the project, before ultimately deciding to abandon the renovation project and build a new high school and technical center.

In December 2021, the School Board voted to award the contract for architectural services to a team comprised of Freeman, French, Freeman, Colin Lindberg & Associates, and Drummey Rosane Andersen. The vote followed strong recommendations from the Superintendent and the Proposal Review Committee.

This group presented five design options to the Board in the Spring of 2022; the Board chose “Option C” which was supported by the community, was the least expensive option, and provided the best fit for students and staff. Plans for this building were further refined in June after the Board voted to allow BSD leaders to leverage a $10m Congressional Grant to move some BTC program spaces to a new Aviation Education Center at the airport; it is estimated that this move reduced the cost of the building by $20m. In July, the Board further voted to allow BSD’s two alternative high school programs to remain in their current, off-campus locations which are serving students well.

In August 2022, the school board voted to ask City Council to approve a $165 million bond request on the November ballot to go towards the total project cost of $190m. City Council approved this request on August 15th and on November 8, voters overwhelmingly approved the bond. The rest, as they say, is history!

You can dig into the story more by looking through the materials available in our Pre-bond Archive.

BSD is committed to raising funds so that we do not have to spend all of the $165m we’ve been granted authority to borrow! If you’d like to help reduce the impact this project will have on taxpayers, you can make a deductible donation through The Burlington Students Foundation. Please consider donating today!

The District occasionally sends updates about this project, which are posted on this website. If you’d like to receive these updates directly, please send us an email and let us know!