by Qinglong Diep
LOWELL — The former St. Jeanne D’Arc School, currently being renovated into a Special Education day school, is set to open by September 2027.
That information was provided to the Lowell School Committee this past Wednesday night by John Haley, President and CEO of Watermark, the Owner’s Project Manager for the renovation.
The project, financed with $9 million in combined city capital funds and state grant money, is being transformed into the new Dr. Janice Adie Day School following a full building renovation that includes asbestos removal, complete electrification, a new sprinkler system, elevator installation and a dedicated bus drop-off driveway.
Asbestos removal of floor tiles throughout the building is scheduled to begin this coming week, with Icon Architects conducting their first site visit Friday to perform an existing building conditions survey. Geotechnical test pitting for the new elevator shaft is planned for next week.
The building, constructed in the 1940s, will also undergo a full mechanical overhaul, making it the first fully electrified school building in Lowell.
All existing boiler equipment will be removed and replaced. The aging transformers, which contain PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls), will be removed after National Grid installs a new transformer outside the building.
Haley said National Grid is currently awaiting approval for new utility poles needed to bring the updated service to the site.
A three-stop elevator will be constructed in the lower parking lot, aligned with existing hallway openings on each floor. That work is scheduled to begin in September, with elevator ordering and shaft construction prioritized early in the design process.
The project is funded through $4 million in city capital funds approved by the City Council and a $5 million MassCEC grant awarded for mechanical and electrical upgrades. Additional funding sources include city ADA funds for sidewalk and ramp access, a city streets account for the new bus driveway and roadway work, and potential utility incentives tied to the installation of new equipment.
Haley assured the school committee the project team is committed to delivering a facility that serves its student population at the highest level.
“Our intent is to make this the best school in the state for these children,” he said.
Parking remains a known challenge. Street parking is limited around the site, though the City Council recently approved reversing traffic flow on Dracut Street to a one-way configuration, which may allow additional parking along the building’s front. The new bus driveway is also expected to ease some traffic and drop-off congestion.
School Committee member Fred Bahou called the project a significant step forward, noting the district had invested roughly $2.5 million in the building approximately three years ago.
“It’s great to see that they’ve offered $4 million in capital funds to go ahead and start doing these improvements,” Bahou said.
Paul St. Cyr, Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Lowell, discussed the potential for a future solar installation on the building’s relatively new roof.
Mayor Erik Gitschier suggested a drone-based thermal imaging survey to identify any issues before construction advances further. St. Cyr confirmed a vendor is already scheduled to conduct the survey within the coming weeks.
Haley said the project remains on budget in response to Mayor Gitschier’s question asking if the budget is on budget, to which he smiled and chuckled for a few seconds.
(Note: The Lowell School Committee voted in November of 2024 to name the school after former Lowell Superintendent George Nicholas Tsapatsaris. However, the agenda item this past Wednesday was listed as the Adie Day School Renovation And Construction Update, which is why it’s being referred to Adie Day School in the article)
