Inside the New Danvers High School [PHOTOS]

The $71 million Danvers High School project is on schedule and under budget, DPW director David Lane told selectmen last week.

When Danvers high school students return to Cabot Road on Sept. 5, they'll be entering the newly renovated Danvers High School.   Danvers Public Works director David Lane last week updated the Board of Selectmen on the work being done over the summer by DPW employees, school personnel and Bacon Construction.  The front and west parking lots have been paved, classrooms have been cleaned, and the HVAC system is being balanced to provide proper airflow. Auditorium seats have been installed and the woodwork on the walls is nearing completion.  The most significant issue, Lane said, has been the new bleachers not being compatible with the Field House floor.  "Unfortunately, when the bleachers were installed it quickly became apparent that they …

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Longtime Principal Cali Bids Farewell To Holten-Richmond Middle School

After fifteen years as principal at Holten Richmond Middle School, Michael Cali will retire next week.

  When school lets out for the summer at Holten Richmond Middle School, there is one familiar face who will not be returning to the hallways, longtime Principal, Mr. Michael Cali. Cali, who lives in nearby Wakefield, said he decided to retire after doing the job of principal for fifteen years and an educator for thirty, because the time was right. He began his long relationship in the Danvers school system in 1989 as a guidance counselor, and became Assistant Principal in 1994 at the former Dunn Junior High, under Principal Art Johnson. "Johnson," he described. “...was a great person who did a lot for his students.” In 1997, Cali became principal of Dunn Junior High School, and was instrumental in the building project of the Holten …

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Marquis Says Education Big Player in State of Region

Marquis says major school building projects represent $200 million investment in education within Danvers.

Danvers Town Manager Wayne Marquis zeroed in on education in town during his remarks at the North Shore Chamber of Commerce's state of the region breakfast last week. Marquis and other North Shore municipal leaders convened at the Peabody Marriott for breakfast and to talk about the region from their respective corners. The panel included Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt, Beverly Mayor Bill Scanlon, Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Newburyport Mayor Donna Holiday and Amesbury Mayor Thatcher Kezer. Marquis noted that Danvers has made two major investments in public education in the way of the new regional vocational school at Essex Aggie and turning Danvers High into a state-of-the-art campus. Marquis said the megavoke …

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Last Chance To Bid in Danvers High's Auction

Danvers High is auctioning items that won't be carried over when the renovated high school opens.

Interested in purchasing a piece of history from Danvers High School? Whether it's a pottery wheel, an easel, a stainless steel work table, or a TV camera--the items are up for grabs, but only until Thursday, June 7.  The surplus items are up for bid because when the Dunn Wing is demolished over the summer, these items aren't being carried over to the renovated building.  Check out the PDF file above for bidding information and a full description of the items. All bids must be in by 11 a.m. tomorrow. 

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You Ask...Patch Answers

When Is The Dunn Wing Of DHS Being Demolished?

Find out the latest on the DHS renovations, and when the Dunn Wing will be demolished in this week's You Ask, Patch Answers.

Danvers High School renovations have reached the 65 percent completion mark, Town Manager Wayne Marquis told the Board of Selectmen at Tuesday night's meeting.  While the new academic wing, the first major phase of the project, will be turned over to the town next month, the Dunn Wing, the current academic space highschoolers are in, has yet to be demolished.  Marquis said the Dunn Wing will be empty as of the close of school this June. There will be a window of five days where staff will be moving equipment they'll be reusing over to the new academic wing.  The goal is to begin the demolition before the students return in September. "I can't say it will be totally demolished before the start of school, but we certainly will be working to …

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High School Move-in Date Pushed Back To June

Students will not be moving into the new high school in April as planned.

The date for students to move into the new academic and science wing at the renovated Danvers High School, originally scheduled for April, has been revised to June, town officials announced last week. Town Manager Wayne Marquis said the town met several times over the course of the last month in regard to the completeness of the project. Certain events, including subcontractors bowing out due to financial difficulty, had an effect on the schedule. Marquis said the town felt it was in a position that April would be "too tight" to punch out things that would need to be fixed, in a "way that we'll all feel good, without any margin for error." "Realistically we want a timely but a high quality project, and certainly Bacon [the project's …

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Before and After: DHS' Brand New Field House

A look at the DHS Field House's construction, as well as finished product.

Public officials and contractors broke ground on the Danvers High School renovations in December of 2010, and at the start of January the doors opened to a brand new field house. We've been updating readers on the progress made throughout the renovation process, and now that the field house is complete, we wanted to debut our photos alongside the older construction photos. Check out some of our past renovation coverage here:

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5 Changes in Danvers to Expect in 2012

Happy 2012, Danvers.

Happy New Year, Danvers! Wondering what's going to change this year around town? Here are a few things: 1. Mandatory Recycling: Starting on January 23, the town will officially begin mandatory recycling. Wondering what exactly that means? If you don't have your recyclables out with your garbage, it simply won't be picked up. Learn more here. 2. Route 128 Construction: It began in the winter of 2009/2010, and Mass DOT has announced the project will be nearing completion this spring. The project's purpose was to construct new acceleration/deceleration lanes at the Route 35 (High Street) and Route 62 (Elliot Street) interchanges, as well as replacing the bridge carrying Route 128 over the unused MBTA rail road located south of the High Street…

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need To Know Today, Sept. 13

Your daily resource for all things happening in Danvers.

Today is Tuesday, September 13. Here are five things you need to know today: 1. Danvers High Girls Soccer was victorious in the season opener against Gloucester on Friday. Today the Falcons will take on North Andover at home at 6:30 p.m. Good luck, ladies!  2. Today's weather forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 83 degrees. Sounds good to us!  3. Costco in Danvers has been bumped to seventh place for the cheapest gas in the state, according to Boston Gas Prices, coming in at 3.46 per gallon. 4. High School Renovation Update: At last night's School Committee Meeting it was reported that the Danvers High School renovation project continues to be moving ahead on schedule, with glass for windows and precast panels being installed in …

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IMAGE GALLERY: Danvers High Renovations Half Way To Completion

The latest images from the renovation scene at Danvers High School.

The $71 million Danvers High School renovation project is halfway to completion.  School and town officials met on Friday August 5 for a meeting and tour of the project, which currently employs about 80 to 100 workers on site every day.  According to Town Manager Wayne Marquis, the renovation is expected to be completed by September of 2013.  Architect Kenneth DiNisco, president and principal of DiNisco Design Partnership in Boston said that this project's emphasis has been teamwork."We're very fortunate," he said, noting that throughout the renovations there has only been one change order, for $47,000 in miscellaneous items. "It's unheard of that after 11 months we're just reaching our first change order." For more information about the …

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