FREDERICK COUNTY, Va. — Construction for Middletown Elementary School’s expansion and renovation project is officially underway.
A groundbreaking ceremony on Monday kicked off the work that is expected to increase the school’s capacity by roughly 50% and produce a new gymnasium and 12 classrooms, as well as repurpose the existing gym into art and music classrooms and expand the cafeteria.
“As Frederick County continues to grow, this expansion and renovation will ensure that Middletown Elementary remains a place where students and families thrive for many, many generations to come,” Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent George Hummer said Monday.
FCPS received $22 million for the Middletown project from the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, about $3 million of which went toward architecture, engineering and other services.
In February, the Frederick County School Board awarded a $15,871,700 construction contract to Winchester-based Howard Shockey & Sons Inc., meaning the project came in about $3 million under budget.
Frederick County Board of Supervisors Chair John Jewell agreed, saying, “We’ve got a local [company] supporting and doing the work for us, for the school.”
Middletown Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV said Monday that the expansion is “a wonderful project.”
“[W]e think this expansion will be great for the teachers to have room for what they need to do, for the students, for the parents,” Harbaugh said. “…This is a good thing, and we’re thankful for the [Board of Supervisors] for funding this expansion.”
The project is slated for completion in spring 2028.
Source: The Winchester Star, story by Molly Williams and photo by Jeff Taylor