School district officials in Plymouth, Massachusetts, advanced a multiyear plan to renovate or replace the district’s oldest elementary school and approved facility improvements at other elementary campuses. School Committee members also selected an owner’s project manager (OPM) for the Hedge Elementary School project and unveiled a new community playground at Nathaniel Morton Elementary.
The selection of an OPM for the Hedge Elementary project clears the way for a feasibility study and project design work.
Under standard MSBA procurement procedures, designer selection is typically the next solicitation at this stage. Districts hire designers through the state Designer Selection Board (DSB) using an MSBA Request for Services (RFS). The OPM helps the district run the process, while the chosen designer, an architecture and engineering firm performs the feasibility study under the OPM’s management.
The feasibility study CHA will oversee will help officials decide whether to renovate the existing elementary school, along with a second school, or construct a new facility to consolidate both. The Hedge facility was built in 1910, while the second school, Cold Spring Elementary, was constructed in 1951.
Officials allocated $2 million in 2025 for the feasibility study, which is also meant to explore potential for new preschool space in the North Plymouth community.
Enrollment at both schools has been falling. According to Plymouth Public Schools data, Hedge enrollment dropped from 210 students in 2024 to 188 students in 2025. Cold Spring enrollment also fell from 214 students to 200 in the same period of time. Combined, the two schools serve fewer than 400 students.
Plymouth’s broader elementary modernization effort runs on a multiyear horizon, with the Hedge and Cold Spring feasibility study representing one of the largest school capital commitments in the town’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget.
The FY26 elementary capital improvement slate, submitted by the district last year, includes other potential improvements across multiple campuses. These include districtwide HVAC repairs, a rubber roof replacement at Manomet Elementary, stairwell renovations and the newly unveiled playground at Nathaniel Morton.
Further updates on the Hedge feasibility study are expected once the MSBA finalizes its approval of the private firm.
Photo by NoName_13 from Pixabay
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