AMHERST — Work crews with CTA Construction Managers LLC of Waltham will begin constructing Amherst’s $97.5 million elementary school on South East Street during the week of Jan. 13, with occupancy of the building for students and staff remaining on track for the fall of 2026.

Town officials announced Dec. 30 that a contract with CTA, as the low bidder, was signed by Town Manager Paul Bockelman, meaning that on-site work can commence, about three months after the original schedule would have had construction underway by mid-October.

District 1 Town Councilor Cathy Schoen, who chairs the Elementary School Building Committee, called the contract signing a “wonderful New Year’s present to all of us.”

“Our children and the entire town owe a big thanks to our staff for getting a contract with costs under control and construction scheduled to begin in a few weeks on the exciting new school,” Schoen said.

Bockelman said meeting the fall 2026 opening remained a priority for the town. CTA submitted the lowest of three bids for the construction of the school itself at $73.48 million, $4.8 million below the funding agreement between the town and state.

But the project was then delayed due to bid protests submitted by two construction industry organizations and one competing bidder. They had alleged that CTA was ineligible for the award. After a thorough public hearing and investigation facilitated by the state Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division, all bid protests were denied.

Going up immediately south of Fort River School, CTA will prioritize construction of the new building. Demolition of the existing structures, including the 1970s era school it will replace, will then be completed throughout fall 2026, will all remaining site work to conclude by June 15, 2027.

The new 575-student, K-5 school, with five classrooms per grade level, will lead to closing both Fort River and another aging building, Wildwood School on Strong Street, while Crocker Farm School on West Street will also become a K-5 school and continue to serve as the Early Education Center. A 6th Grade Academy, possibly to open inside the Amherst Regional Middle School, would open in fall 2026 for sixth-grade students.

To ensure the project stays on schedule, any overtime costs required to accelerate work will be assessed on a time and expense basis. That means the town will pay for the actual time crews spend working on the project and be added to the cost of any materials or expenses incurred during that time. Any costs assessed in the time and expenses basis will require approval from the project team, and will be subject to what the town is calling a “pre-established upside cap.”

The time and expensive basis also will be used to evaluate any costs attributed to winter conditions. The project team also will need to approve these costs and a similar cap will be in place.

Amherst’s new elementary school will be a net zero energy building, utilizing ground source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels to provide 100% of its energy needs.

The site will include space for outdoor learning and play, featuring innovative and accessible playground equipment. There will be restoration of playing fields, new basketball courts and trails and rain gardens, as part of recreational opportunities on site, along with a school designed for after-hours use, including a cafeteria equipped with a performance stage.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.