Facility Projects

Dear Marion Cross Families and Norwich Residents,

As school approaches, the excitement is growing and we are busy making final preparations in the building to Welcome everyone – new and old. We wanted to bring you a quick update on our outside projects, the first of many as we move through this school year.

Finishing the Milt Frye Forest Trails

• Last fall we completed Phase 1 of the upgrades to the Milt Frye Forest trails bringing them up to ABA accessible standards.  Phase 1 began from the upper parking lot and now runs past all of the younger grades education areas.   
• Work will commence shortly to complete Phase 2.  This will complete the loop from the upper entrance location past all the learning areas and exiting into the lower parking lot area.  All work should be completed by mid to late September. 
• The MCS administration is working with staff to bring educational activities into the forest during our recess periods as well.
• Many thanks to the Upper Valley Trails Alliance who managed and installed this project and the Byrnes Foundation for their generous matching grant. 

Progress on the Playground!

The Playground project has hit a variety of important milestones.

• The School Board and administrative team secured the funding for the playground projects from two local banks – Community Bank and Mascoma Bank.
• Our Playground Committee and architect Sashi Misner finalized the Design Plan, our engineering firm provided the CAD drawing and we’ve met with two playground supplier/installers. We will finalize our order by August 31^st. 
• Check out the final design here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kap7G7i5Mb4ImRqa-R14jRLCsPFH-rIK/view?usp=sharing You can see that it is an expansive project with multiple accessible playground structures, poured in place paths for ease of use, and other exciting landscaping changes with new equipment.
• We set an initial timeline. We expect the project to be started in the spring of 2024 after the frost is out of the ground.  Most playground supplier installers are working one year out, so we should be first on the install list in 2024. We are going to try and place a couple of our new items this fall near the library so the students can use them and then move items to their final place in the spring.

Strong Start on the Septic/Tank Upgrades

Septic System upgrades are moving forward with permits filed at the State level for the alternative design. This project is being done in two phases.

• Phase 1 includes installation of a grease trap for the kitchen. Once this is in place, we will be able to be a self-contained food service operation including installation of our new dishwasher so we can be more environmentally friendly – no more disposables. 
• The timeline for Phase 2 will be set once our permits have been secured. We will continue to pump the tanks regularly during the winter months. 

Many thanks to the community for supporting these projects now and in the future.

The Norwich School Board, Marion Cross School and SAU 70 Administration Team