NEW BEDFORD — With the steel framing for New Bedford’s new Congdon-Devalles Elementary School in the city’s South End now completed, things appear to be on track for the district’s projected January 2027 opening, according to New Bedford School Committee member and Capital and Construction Standing Committee Chair Bruce Oliveira.
“The steel is complete and now they’re putting down some of the concrete slabs,” Oliveira said, noting the intent is to “close up” the structure before winter weather becomes a factor. “It’s coming along so far so good.”
The new school — at 350 Bolton St. — will replace the Congdon and DeValles elementary schools, both in New Bedford’s South End. Congdon stands among the city’s oldest school buildings, one of several built in 1907. DeValles was built in 1912-1913, according to New Bedford Public Schools.
At 124,000 square feet, the three-story Congdon-DeValles Elementary School will have a student capacity of 760 students in kindergarten to Grade 5, according to the district.
Congdon-DeValles school will be a first for New Bedford
According to Oliveira, Congdon-DeValles will be the city’s first school building to use geothermal assistance when it comes to climate control.
This is achieved by having a “geothermal well” system installed as part of the construction, Oliveira explained, which he described as an approximate 500-foot deep, 6-inch diameter channel into the ground that allows the building to use the earth’s natural heat to cut down on energy costs.
“I think the temperature maintained is 45 to 50 degrees down at that level, so now you’re heating 45 to 50 degree water instead of zero degrees,” Oliveira said, noting that, aside from ongoing energy savings, inclusion of a geothermal well makes the city eligible for an approximate $6 million rebate. “It’s more expensive to install but … it’ll be cheaper and more efficient to run.”
Oliveira said on Wednesday he believed geothermal well creation for the project was “about 75 to 80% complete.”
State agrees to maximum reimbursement rate
According to Oliveira, the total appropriation for the new elementary school is about $119 million, however, he noted the project cost is on track to come in lower.
“We’re currently tracking … more like $112 million to $113 million,” he said. “We’re hoping that holds true.”
Furthermore, Oliveira said, the Massachusetts School Building Authority has agreed to help fund the project at a reimbursement rate of 80% of eligible cost, the highest rate the MSBA awards for the projects it selects.
“So the city of New Bedford is probably on the hook for $37 million to $38 million,” Oliveira said, noting it cost about $3.5 million to $3.6 million to take the project site — a former Goodyear plant — under eminent domain. “We were lucky to secure a really good site for the school. We were fortunate the site was clean; we tested and retested [for contaminants].”
One thing that makes the site ideal for a new school is its size, Oliveira added, noting it’s larger than the district’s newest existing school building, Jacobs Elementary School.
“It will have parking, bus drop-off on both streets,” Oliveira said, noting the traffic situation at drop-off and pick-up times should run smoothly.
How will a mid-year school opening work?
With sights set on an opening date in January 2027, Oliveira said the plan is to have Congdon and DeValles students start the 2026-2027 school year in their existing buildings, then move them into the new Congdon-DeValles school after Christmas break.
“So the kids will complete the school year in their new school; that’s the goal,” he said.
Sometime in the current school year, Oliveira said steel beams will be brought into the existing Congdon and DeValles schools so students can sign their names on them before they’re installed in the new building.
“So down the road when they’re adults, maybe with their own kids, they can say, ‘I signed a beam in that school,'” Oliveira said.
For more information on the upcoming Congdon-DeValles Elementary School, visit www.newbedfordschools.org/news/what_s_new/students_break_ground_for_new_school.
