Norton Businessman Receives Contractor of the Year Award

Miller Construction Company received the Silver Contractor of the Year (CotY™) Award for its updating of a 1970s era Mansfield kitchen.

Norton-based Miller Construction Company, Inc. (MCC) has added another accolade to its growing collection. The 24-year-old contracting company, owned by Dave Miller, CR, of Norton, received the prestigious Silver Contractor of the Year (CotY) Award from the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (EM-NARI) at the organization’s annual Evening of Excellence in November. The award, MCC’s 12th since 2004, was presented for the 2012 renovation of a 12’x14’ kitchen in a colonial home in Mansfield. The honor was in the category of “Kitchen Remodel Under $50,000.”  The project consisted of gutting the original 1970s era kitchen, removing the cabinets, appliances and flooring, and tearing down a wall …

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New High School Cafeteria to be Ready in February [VIDEO]

Tour of high school construction given at School Committee meeting.

The School Committee and other meeting attendees were treated to a tour of the new addition at Norton High School Monday night. Tom O'Neil, project director at Pinck & Co., Inc. and Steve Roman, project manager of W.T. Rich headed up the tour, showing the group the beginning of the new cafeteria, science rooms and other areas. Along with the School Committee, selectmen chairman Tim Giblin and vice chairman Robert Kimball came along for the tour. Before February vacation, the new cafeteria will be utilized for lunch. The old one will be used as swing space for classrooms so that construction can commence in other areas of the building. Complete construction is to be finished in December 2013. “We are tracking right on schedule,” Roman said…

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Norton High Preparing for Renovations

Groundbreaking Friday, March 2.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Spend Money Now or Pay More Later

Norton residents Marie and Dave Thompson share their opinion on the high school building project.

To the Editor: This week we’re replacing our windows in our home.  It’s been 25 years since the house was built and the windows no longer keep out the heat on a 90° day or a cold draft when the temperature dips below freezing.  Believe me, it’s not an expense that we really want right now, especially with gas prices hovering at $4.00 a gallon and our oil bill for the past winter the highest it has ever been since we moved to Norton in 1993.  We have a choice – continue to pay to heat our home each year and have some of that heat escape through the cracks and crevices in the window sills or “bite the bullet” and pay to have the windows replaced, ultimately saving us money on both heating and cooling our home in the long run.  The decision …

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High School Building Committee Reveals Latest Exterior Drawings

Five photos of what the outside of Norton High School will look like if the project passes.

High School Building Committee member Kevin O'Neil emailed the final exterior drawings proposed for the Norton High School project. Click through the gallery to see them. The project will go before voters at the Special Town Meeting scheduled for Monday, June 6, 7 p.m. and the Special Town Election Saturday, June 11.

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Kelly A. Mello

11:23 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011

Hello Puece, they are not proposing an entirely new building. The project aims to renovate the existing building while putting on an addition.   more ›

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Norton High Renovation Project – An Opportunity We Can’t Afford to Miss

Project to go before voters this June.

TO THE EDITOR: It is my hope that at this point most Norton residents are aware of the High School Renovation Project opportunity. If not, now is the time to get informed. If you do, you will quickly and easily see how this project can benefit us all in so many ways. Ensuring this project moves forward is important for all residents, whether you have children in the school system or not.   It is common knowledge that the Norton High School is in dire need of improvement. The building is 40 years old and has insufficient space for students and equipment, inefficient heating/electrical systems, outdated science labs, insufficient facilities to support today’s technology–and this list goes on. If you are unfamiliar with the extent to which …

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Celebrate the Past, Vote for the Future

Town's birthday parade the day after voting polls open.

Happy Birthday Norton On June 12th the citizens of Norton will line the road to watch a parade celebrating the 300th birthday of the town.  It will be a wonderful way to celebrate Norton’s past.  The day before the parade those same citizens will go to the polls to decide Norton’s future.  Norton has a chance to renovate the town’s High School and put on a much needed addition while being reimbursed for 64% of the cost.  Even with the reimbursement the cost is no small figure.  The projected cost of the project after reimbursement is likely to approach $11.5 million and will require a debt exclusion to be passed at the special Town Meeting on June 6th and also by vote at the polls on June 11th.  It seems like we have become a town of 2 …

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

High School Improvements will Lead to Better Home Resale Values

Letter from Kathy Portway of Success! Real Estate.

To the editor, When potential home buyers are looking to purchase a home, they consider all of the factors a town offers.  Towns that provide excellent educational opportunities for their students will always be at the top of a buyers’ list.   Savvy home buyers think about resale values!  As a resident of Norton I take great pride in providing information about its schools -- they are truly wonderful!  However, our high school is outdated and needs major improvements.  Failure to make those improvements will impact our homes' perceived values.  The renovation project to our high school will provide greater educational opportunities for its students, as well as increase the value of real estate in our town -- we ALL benefit!  Kathy Portway …

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Latest High School Building Presentation Tackles Town Meeting Questions, Design

Sewer connection needed for project to move forward.

The High School Building Committee made a presentation Tuesday night, notifying the public of changes made in the cost, proposed design of Norton High School and the questions being asked at the June 6 Special Town Meeting for the June 11 ballot vote. The Schematic Design submittal is due Friday, April 15 to the MSBA, and this meeting summarized that submittal. The most recent price tag for the project is $32,700,000 before MSBA reimbursement. With a 58 percent contribution, it will cost the Town of Norton $14,067,500. Up to 62 percent could be reimbursed. When that agreement [scope and budget] is negotiated, we will know exactly what the reimbursement rate is,” said project manager Margaret Wood of Pinck & Co., noting that the rate will …

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High School Project in the Home Stretch

Schematic design due at the state board April 13.

On the heels of Wednesday's blessing given to the Norton High School addition and renovation project by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, project proponents are shifting into high gear preparing for further state requirements and a full-fledged community education effort. The MSBA announced this week Norton has advanced into the "schematic design phase" of the process, and now can work closely with the state committee to tailor the design of the reconfigured classrooms and two-story addition to both the needs of the town and the requirements of the state. The complete schematic design is due at the state board on April 13. Greg Smolley of JCJ Architecture told selectmen on Thursday that his firm is about halfway through the …

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