NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The groundbreaking on Tuesday for the new Greylock School was a mesh of past and present. 

 

As a long line of officials grabbed their shovels for the ceremonial dirt toss, the old school was being taken apart behind them and forms for the footings for the new school were being installed across the way. 

 

And perhaps the most important component of the day were the children from Connie Tatro's daycare in their safety vests, already digging in the dirt. 

 

They will be the first prekindergarten class when the school opens in fall 2027.

 

"This is truly a special moment for all of us as this school is being built as a community school today, we are marking more than start of a construction project," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey. 

 

"We're marking the moment when years of planning, collaboration and community commitment become something real, something visible and something that's going to last long beyond any of us. This is where we truly begin turning work from conception to reality."

 

It's taken three mayors, three superintendents, three school building committees and one contentious vote to get to this point. 

 

The now 73-year-old Greylock School had been initially considered back in 2011 as part of two-school project that would see the renovation of Conte Middle School and a new Greylock built. The MSBA rejected that idea and officials at the time moved forward with what would become Colegrove Park Elementary School.

 

Greylock was put on the backburner for a decade until it was invited into MSBA's eligibility phase in December 2019. The 2020 pandemic delayed the School Building Committee's work but by spring of 2021, the plans were again abandoned because of concerns over enrollment projections. 

 

But when the administration looked into renovating Brayton Elementary, the MSBA posed a joint study of both schools — the object of closing one of them. Two years later, Greylock was selected as the best option though it was take a close election to approve a debt exclusion that would allow the city to bond out nearly $20 million over 30 years for the $65 million project. 

 

"The Greylock School project has been a long time coming. It represents a meaningful investment in our children, our families and the future of our city," said Macksey. "This new preK to 2 school will provide our youngest learners with modern safe and an inspiring place to begin their educational journey. It truly represents how North Adams values the future generation. This isn't just a ceremony. This is just showing how hard this group of people and all of you have been working."

 

The mayor was joined by School Committee and School Building Committee members, representatives from Fontaine Bros. contractors, designer Jesse Saylor of TSKP Studio and Timothy Alix of Collier's International, the owner's project manager. 

 

The several dozen attendees included city councilors, city and school department staff and area residents. 

 

"Today isn't about the dust or the amount of money it cost," said Macksey afterward. "It's really about the kids, the next generation of North Adams. So I'm one happy mayor today."

 

MSBA's Director of External Affairs Maria Puopolo said the team has "worked diligently to create a forward-thinking project" that will allow the district to retire the existing 73-year-old Greylock Elementary School.

 

The current building was closed last year as the public schools shifted to a grade reconfiguration of prekindergarten to Grade 2 and Grades 3 to 6. The higher grades now attend Colegrove and the new school will be an early education center for the lower grades, which are now at Brayton. 

 

School officials have repeatedly stated there will be attempts to salvage parts of the old Greylock for the new. Of great importance was the installation of a pond and courtyard, similar to the one in the old school.

 

"We're very sentimental to the past stories that are told about Greylock. We've tried to preserve them in any way possible," said the mayor. "But more importantly, this project is about the future generation."

 

Lined up with shovels, current and former mayors, superintendents, committee members and the next generation — under the supervision of Fontaine's site supervisor Herbie the dog — tossed the dirt into the air several times. 

 

Work had been largely paused at the site and a safe area set up for the ceremony. Once it was over, the equipment started moving again. 

 

"We've got 15 minutes and then we got to get off the site," the mayor said, checking her watch. "We've got to get back to work.