Groton, MA Gilbane Building Company celebrated the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Florence Roche Elementary School. Mary Pichetti, MSBA executive director; senator John Cronin; representative Danillo Sena; Dr. Geoff Bruno, superintendent of schools; Brian O’Donoghue, principal of Florence Roche School; and school committee members gathered to celebrate this milestone event. The project resulted from a collaborative effort among the town of Groton, the Groton-Dunstable regional school district, the owner’s project manager, LeftField Project Management, Studio G Architects, and Gilbane.

The two-story school serves 645 students in grades K-4. It is organized into grade-level learning neighborhoods, featuring a dedicated project area that offers flexibility, opportunities for break-out spaces, and a zone for non-classroom-based activities. Other shared programs include a media center, a STEM lab with an outdoor patio, spaces for music and art, and a theater area. Building security features include a duress button that triggers the lowering of a security gate restricting access to the second floor, locking doors, and shade-blocked classroom windows.

“Gilbane was our neighbor for two years of the actual build. Thank you for welcoming our staff and me into this process, as we visited the site many times. You were gracious hosts, always making time for us to check on something or simply to show off the space to our teachers. We were actually roommates for a time this fall, and Jonathan May, Lyle Reed, and Derek Tripp stayed onsite to make sure everything went smoothly. I really enjoyed having them, I’d like to see if we can arrange for them to come back. They were fun, so thank you for that,” said O’Donoghue.

Gilbane’s senior project executive, Tripp McElroy, emphasized the rewarding experience of working on the project. “The students saw our team in action and understood we helped construct their beautiful new building. To our team’s surprise, one afternoon, members of the student body expressed their gratitude by presenting our team with drawings and thank-you notes! This was incredibly rewarding as the entire team kept the best interests of the project stakeholders at the forefront of our minds.”

Designed to meet LEED Silver standards, the new facility incorporates a variety of energy-saving features and equipment. The project included an innovative battery energy storage system (BESS), which charges during the day using excess power produced by the grid and dispatches the stored electricity back to the school during outages, replacing a fossil-fueled emergency generator.

“To Gilbane, your professionalism and commitment carried us through the most difficult times. A special thank you to Tripp McElroy, Jonathan May, and John Roche, whose leadership on the ground ensured this project was delivered with care and precision,” said Fay Raynor, Florence Roche Building Committee Chair.