LYNN — The new Pickering Middle School is one step closer to becoming a reality.
The Pickering School Building Committee voted during its Wednesday meeting to approve the submission of a schematic-design packet to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. At the meeting, representatives from LeftField and Raymond Design Associates, two firms involved with the project, outlined the schematic design.
“The schematic-design submission is intended to support what we are asking for in terms of budget for the project,” LeftField Project Director Lynn Stapleton said. “It’s supposed to back up what our costs are for the project, as well as our proposed schedule for the project.”
The more than 1,000-page packet features a plethora of information about the proposed project, including everything from cost estimates to floor plans and design renderings.
Raymond Design Associates Principal Gene Raymond noted that the design will change going forward, with the designers making necessary alterations to the final design. Those could include changes to the outdoor space and the building itself.
“This is not what the building is going to end up looking like,” Raymond said. “For now, we’re just trying to think about materials and how we might break up the big mass of the building.”
Raymond said there is “a long way to go on design work,” but noted that this design submission knocked the cost down from the original estimate of around $200 million. The current estimate is around $170 million.
“There was some real pressure about the budget,” Raymond said. “Overall, the project is within the budget… We feel comfortable asking for approval.”
Stapleton said the committee will likely submit the schematic-design packet to the MSBA by Oct. 26 and is expected to receive approval for the design in December.
Stapleton added that it is expected the MSBA Board of Directors will approve an increase in project funding during its Oct. 25 meeting and that the project is currently on track for fall 2026 occupancy.
