The newly renovated Milford Middle School is almost ready to welcome students next week when the school year begins. As Principal Susan Frampton stated at a recent tour of the building, “she just needs her earrings and shoes on” as contractors put the final touches on the 100-year-old structure.
“I am hearing from a lot of staff members who were here over the weekend that our contractors have done phenomenal work,” Superintendent Travis Moorman said. “We thought that this would be a great place to start with our mosaic here in the main part of the lobby. The compass is one of the newer logos of our district, generated as part of our strategic plan and this became kind of the focal point of the four strategic priorities that we have put in place to grow our district. We thought, what better way to represent that and connect the new with the old.”
The Milford Middle School was constructed in the 1920s as Milford High School. Over the years, the district added wings and sections that created a maze of hallways that were difficult to maintain and manage. In 2013, the district made the decision to close the building permanently with a plan to construct a new high school on lands where Simpson Crossing now stands. A referendum to build the new high school failed as part of the high school project would have required the demolition of the historic building. A second referendum was held to construct a new middle school on the property with no plan for what to do with the historic building a few years later and that referendum also failed.
A task force was created to determine the best use of the building, and the community overwhelmingly requested that it remain a school and the district attempt to refurbish the historic building rather than tear it down. A plan was developed that would remove the newer wings and retain the historic part of the building. A referendum for that project passed in 2021. Construction began the following year, and the project will come to fruition with the start of the 2025-26 school year when 702 fifth and sixth graders will begin attending.
“We will begin here in the new section of the building and make our way toward the older section,” Frampton said to a group of business owners, city officials and media on a recent tour. “I want to thank all of you for being here, especially those who attended here and worked here in the past. We have definitely wedded the old section with the new and it is stunning.”
The first stop on the tour was the gymnasium which is located in the same area as the original. Frampton explained that the ceiling is the same and there is new flooring. Outside the gym will be a mural of the old school with a motto developed by Public Information Officer Trish Gerken “Built in the past, ready for the future.”
“The stage has been restored and the band director will be guiding students on the stage,” Frampton said. “This will be heavily used because our kids are going to be musical, they are going to sing, they are going to play, they’re going to do it all. We are starting theater here and we have a new music person coming in from Salisbury State University. We really want this to be the showpiece for our children, because they are leaving the elementary school and getting ready for middle school. It is a special time for kids because they are still kids, and it is a very special time in their lives.”
The next stop was on the cafeteria where there were obvious signs that the school still needed cosmetic work. Frampton explained that flooring would be installed over the next week. The cafeteria will have a variety of tables to give students the feel of a restaurant over a cafeteria. The front of the room is a wall of windows with maroon and gold panels that reflect against the walls during the day. A mural of a ship will be added to one wall to continue the Buccaneer theme.
“We plan to be very community oriented,” Frampton said as the group moved to the refurbished auditorium. “We have retractable seating, and we can seat 224 for our performances. We already have things on our calendar. A balcony has been added for additional seating as well.”
When asked about the baseball fields outside, Frampton explained that the track and fields would be used by students. They also plan to add foursquare courts painted on the bus platform to encourage students to be active. Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds Mike Sharp explained that once the interior of the building was completed, staff would begin working on the exterior.
“It has been amazing what we are able to do here, bringing this in under budget and on time,” Frampton said. “It doesn’t seem like it now, but it is amazing what happens in just two days.”
The tour traveled to the second floor where they were viewed classrooms. The rooms are filled with natural light and modern furnishings, including chairs on wheels that lock when a student sits in them. All chairs have ample storage underneath, eliminating the need for lockers in the school. Frampton explained that the district was only using the first and second floor with the third floor reserved for offices.
“The school has a capacity for 1,000 students but only 702 will be attending this year,” Frampton said. “That means we have room to grow as the district grows.”
The library was at a similar completion level as the cafeteria, but Frampton assured the group that it would be finished in time for students to arrive. Books were being delivered this week and the library would be furnished with soft sofas and chairs to encourage students to read. When asked if students would be required to learn research skills other than searching online, Frampton stated they would.
The tour ended at the entrance where Frampton explained the entire vestibule would eventually be glass. Currently, there is a temporary ceiling until construction is completed, but that the goal was for the lobby to be filled with natural light. Moorman also explained that the district would pay homage to both the Milford 11, a group of African American students who unsuccessfully attempted integration in the 1950s, as well as the Milford Seven who successfully integrated the school eight years later. The library has 11 columns that will be dedicated to the Milford 11.
“This is amazing. It really brings back memories of when I was here in the early or middle 80s,” Mayor Todd Culotta said. “To see where it’s come from and where it is going and what it is going to mean for the community is huge. I’m really happy with the job they did, the budget they kept to and what it’s going to mean for Milford and our growth.”
Milford School Board Vice-President Matt Bucher was also pleased with the progress of the project.
“When this came about in 2021, really the process was ten years because my son was actually the last class before they boarded up the windows in 2013 and it has taken 12 years to get to this point,” Bucher said. “There’s been many heartbreaks and setbacks, but by the time our crews got started our admin team jumped into action, and we were able to do something really amazing for this 100-year-old building, to modernize it in this fashion, update it and triple the size in literally 18 months.”
Bucher pointed out that commercial construction of this size and scale is risky with a building as old as the middle school because older buildings can be temperamental.
“But somebody was watching over us, because we ended up getting it done on time and I think we are something like $4.5 million under budget which is remarkable, particularly considering we went out for referendum at the same time inflationary markets were destroying square foot numbers. We were concerned we might be $10 to $15 million over budget. So, we are blessed,” Bucher said. “We’ve had great contractors. We have a great construction manager. You’ve seen our administration team; the incomparable Dr. Frampton is a rare find and we are very positive. We are excited to welcome the kids back on September 2 and we are excited to show it off to the community on September 13.”
The district will hold a ribbon cutting and open the building for tours to the public on Saturday, September 13 from 11 AM to 1 PM.
