City of Pawtucket breaks ground for rebuild of Henry J. Winters Elementary School - demolition of the school began in June of 2020

Pawtucket, RI The city of Pawtucket welcomed general treasurer Seth Magaziner, speaker of the Rhode Island House of representatives Joseph Shekarchi, council president David Moran and members of the city council, the state delegation, school committee, and school department for a groundbreaking on the ground-up rebuild of the Henry J. Winters Elementary School.

With demolition of the school beginning in June of 2020, this is the next step to building a STEAM facility for students as a part of the complete overhaul of the city schools.

“We are working to provide the best tools for our students to succeed,” said mayor Donald Grebien. “I want to thank everyone who has made this a priority including the city council, school committee, and school department. This has been years in the making and we are pleased to finally see the project underway. I know that we all look forward to when this project is completed and a conducive learning environment is provided to our children.”

“It’s an exciting day in the city of Pawtucket,” said governor Dan McKee. “We know that the jobs of the future will require a strong STEAM education foundation. I’m proud that students at Henry J. Winters Elementary will soon have access to this state-of-the-art building. Today’s groundbreaking is one more step towards Pawtucket’s revitalization and I am looking forward to the ribbon cutting. Congratulations to the mayor, the school committee, the city council and most importantly to the students and families who will use and benefit from this brand new facility.”

The city has worked on this approximately $49 million project with Colliers Project Leaders as the owners project manager, Gilbane Building Company as the construction manager at risk, and the S/L/A/M Collaborative.

As a part of a larger plan for school renovations and after the complete renovations of both Potter Burns Elementary and Nathanael Greene Elementary, Winters will provide a brand new STEAM facility for students. Through the overwhelming support of the Pawtucket residents by way of the approval of several major bond referendum questions in 2018, including a $220 million bond of funding for school rehabilitation, all 17 of the Pawtucket public schools have received major health and safety upgrades in the past two years.

“In 2018, when I was majority leader, I was proud to support the $250 million statewide school construction bond – which was the largest bond in state history, and very much needed to make critical improvements to our aging school facilities,” said speaker Joseph Shekarchi. “The groundbreaking we are celebrating today is an example of why that funding is so important. When Henry J. Winters Elementary is rebuilt, it will be the state-of-the-art facility our students deserve.”

“Every child deserves facilities that are warm, safe and dry and that prepare them for a future of success,” said general treasurer Seth Magaziner, co-chair of the Rhode Island School Construction Task Force. “As a former public school teacher, I know firsthand the deep and lasting impacts facilities can have on a student’s ability to learn. I am pleased that the statewide school construction plan we enacted has delivered millions of dollars to the Winters School project and dozens of other projects across the state, and I congratulate the city of Pawtucket on being a leader in putting these resources to work.”

“We have shown that we are dedicated to our students,” said chairman of the Pawtucket school committee Gerard Charbonneau. “These investments and new facilities help to better the learning environments of our students and I want to thank all of the partners who worked on this project and the taxpayers who made it possible by funding our necessary infrastructure investments.”

The city looks forward to continuing to upgrade the schools and provide every student with the opportunity to study in a healthy, safe, and updated learning environment. The anticipated date of completion for the Henry J. Winters Elementary School project is in the summer 2022.