High School Students to Relocate to Vacant Junior High School North-August 21, 1985

School officials announced that the high school facility will not be ready for occupancy until mid-October at the earliest, with some committee members privately questioning whether the project will drag on for the entire school year. To accommodate the sudden shift, administrators plan to postpone the first day of classes from Wednesday, September 4, to the following Monday, giving crews time to prepare the junior high building, which had been closed for a year. The two school buildings sit roughly a mile apart.

In addition to the high school population, approximately 250 students at the adjacent Henry O. Peabody School—which connects directly to the high school—will also be temporarily displaced. Following a unanimous vote by the School Committee, Superintendent James Savage‘s recommendation was formally adopted to house all high school classes at the former junior high until renovations are fully or substantially completed. Savage noted that administrative logistics have been mapped out for a maximum four-month stay at the alternate site.

While Savage and committee chairman Robert Kief declined to disclose the total financial cost of the relocation, the committee convened a closed-door executive session to discuss potential litigation and whether the primary contractor, Anchor Construction Co. of Lowell, could be held financially liable for the move. Thomas Boyle, owner of Anchor Construction, previously estimated that work would run past mid-October, noting that major structural upgrades remain on corridor floors and ceilings, heating and electrical systems, and fire alarm and sprinkler installations. Expressing deep skepticism regarding the timeline, committee member Roger Pelletier remarked, “I would have to say that, based on their track record, the Oct. 15 date is beyond what they can handle… I am questioning whether we should bite the bullet and stay in Junior High School North all year.”

Superintendent Savage stated that the former junior high requires only minimal preparation before students arrive, including thorough cleaning, new electrical hookups for typewriters and computers, and the addition of several dedicated bus routes. However, the displacement poses acute challenges for the Peabody School. Peabody Director William Maher explained that students will temporarily relocate to the Willet School gymnasium or the junior high gym, but neither location possesses the specialized laboratory infrastructure required for vocational programs in cooking, cosmetology, and hairdressing. Consequently, Peabody students will focus exclusively on academic coursework during the interim. The school committee voted to formally request that the permanent building construction committee prioritize finishing the Peabody wing. Meanwhile, committee member Joseph Pentowski staged a walkout during the executive session, arguing that the topics should be debated openly—marking his first such exit in 12 years of service—though Kief maintained the closed meeting was legally justified to discuss potential litigation. Savage is slated to meet with the finance commission to secure emergency funding for the move.

(Reporting by Bernie McEvoy, For The Patriot Ledger).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger