Hardy Project
Design and Images Credit: SMMA
Cafetorium. Design and Images Credit: SMMA
Learning Center. Design and Images Credit: SMMA
​The new Hardy Elementary School is OPEN!
​Phase 2 of the Hardy project: Demolition of the existing school and utility work on Hardy Road is complete. Site work continues at the location where the existing school was demolished. Sitework scheduled to be complete December 2024.
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The project is on schedule to have the building open for the 2024-2025 school year. Sitework will continue throughout Fall.
Sitework began mid-February 2023 and a formal Groundbreaking took place March 2023.
The Project Construction Documents (CD) were completed and submitted to the MSBA in December 2023 and received approval in February 2023.
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The project completed the Permitting process by receiving a special permit from the Wellesley Planning Board as a Project of Significant Impact (PSI) on July 11, 2022.
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The project has completed the Design Development (DD) Phase in June 2022 under the direction of the Permanent Building Committee and was approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
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Project funding was approved at the October 25th Special Town meeting. The debt exclusion vote was passed on December 7th.
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The Town of Wellesley is partnering with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to replace one elementary school in Wellesley. The MSBA formally invited the Upham Elementary School as the project of record, but they allowed the Town to study the redevelopment of both the Upham and Hardy campuses for the consolidated school with a design enrollment of 365 students. The final Upham Elementary School Educational Program describes how the WPS staff will deliver education in the new facility.
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The School Building Committee (SBC) conducted a feasibility study on both the Hardy and Upham sites, evaluating addition/renovation and new construction options at various locations on each site. The SBC’s final recommendation was to build new construction Hardy option 7b at the Hardy site. As required by the MSBA, this recommendation received affirmative votes from the School Committee and the Select Board and was approved at the MSBA Board Meeting on December 16, 2020, therefore entering MSBA Module 4: Schematic Design. The design and construction of the project is being overseen by the Town’s Permanent Building Committee (PBC) with input from the restructured School Building Committee, as required by the MSBA. Click here for more information on PBC membership and responsibilities.
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This link will take you to a video of the current Hardy and Upham Schools: Hardy and Upham
Since December 2020, the PBC has overseen the development of the schematic design for the Hardy site and building. The current schematic design is estimated to be about 30% through the development of the final design. Further design will take place during the design development phase which would commence after a successful debt exclusion. In June 2021, the PBC authorized the Owner’s Project Manager to submit the schematic design package to the MSBA in completion of the requirements of Module 4. The Hardy schematic design submission was approved at the August 25th MSBA Board Meeting.
A request for design development and construction funds was presented and approved at the October 25th Special Town meeting. The debt exclusion vote is scheduled for December 7th.
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For additional information about the current phase of the project, visit the Meetings tab for the most recent presentation materials discussed at the Permanent Building Committee. The recordings of the meetings are also available on Wellesley Media.
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Hardy At A Glance​
Project Phase: Construction
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Next Steps: Completion of site work and field construction scheduled for December 2024.
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Recommendation Overview
Size: 18 classrooms with additional spaces that could be reconfigured to serve as a 19th classroom in the case of a “bubble” year, with a design enrollment of 365 students. In addition, the design includes purpose-built spaces for the district-wide skills program.
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Type: All-new construction, 80,039 sf
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Conceptual Project Cost: $72.5M, including $2.5M in feasibility costs already appropriated. Expected reimbursement from MSBA of $12.8M to $13.6M
Projected Schedule
Construction start: February 2023
Building Occupancy: Fall 2024
Full Completion: December 2024
MSBA Process Overview
Module 1: Eligibility Period
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See Documents
Module 2: Forming the Project Team
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See Documents
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Module 3: Feasibility
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See Documents
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Module 4: Schematic Design
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See Documents
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Module 5: Project Scope and Budget, Project Funding Agreement
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See Documents
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Module 6: Design Development, Construction Documentation and Bidding
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Module 7: Construction Administration
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Current Phase
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