FALL RIVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Suffolk, one of the largest and most innovative real estate and construction enterprises in the country, together with the Greater Fall River Vocational School District (GFRVSD) and School Building Committee, today hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School. The ceremony reinforced the School District’s mission to provide students with a twenty-first century learning environment allowing them to excel in all aspects of the academic and vocational realm.
Attendees gathered at the site of the future school in Fall River for a ceremony reaffirming the ideals for which the new facility will stand, including enhancing the student experience and benefitting the school’s four sending communities of Westport, Swansea, Somerset and Fall River, Massachusetts. Ceremony speakers included Brian S. Bentley, Superintendent Director, James Macdonald, CEO of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, Senator Michael Rodrigues, Massachusetts State Senator, and Keith Couch, Northeast Region General Manager of Suffolk.
“Suffolk is honored to partner with the School Building Committee, the Greater Fall River Vocational School District, and the Massachusetts School Building Authority to cement the innovative vision of the new Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School into reality,” said Mr. Couch. “This cutting-edge facility will allow Diman to continue to provide an unparalleled technical vocational education experience, connecting students with their passions and subsequently unlocking career paths that build the foundation for the success of the future workforce.”
Originally built in the 1960s for 800 students, the new facility will accommodate an enrollment capacity of 1,500 students in grades nine through 12 and will include a large entry plaza, centrally located parking areas to serve both the school and the athletic facilities, a gymnasium, auditorium, classrooms, science labs and special education spaces. Additionally, the new school will feature large shops in Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, Construction, Transportation, Business, Consumer Services, Health Services, Culinary Arts and Graphics Communications.
"This groundbreaking ceremony and the subsequent construction of the new Diman represents the next chapter in the history of Diman for our communities, our families and especially our students. The new Diman will be a physical representation of the philosophy espoused by Rev. John Diman himself, who believed that the proper training and skills achieved by students would craft a foundation strong enough to withstand whatever the future challenges of the workforce may bring. This new Diman will be a testament to the Diman founded in 1912 which sought to better the community and those who lived in it. If the future of our community is based upon those who live, work and are educated in it, then the new Diman will shine brightly to show the path forward."
Suffolk’s forward-thinking and technologically advanced approach to building will result in a leading-edge facility that sets the standard for modern education spaces while meeting the needs of a student body preparing to enter an innovative workforce. This sophisticated project adds to Suffolk’s diverse K-12 portfolio in Massachusetts, which includes Somerville High School, B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River, Saugus Middle High School, Lowell High School and the currently underway new Roxbury Prep School. Suffolk’s other signature projects include the Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences, Raffles Boston Back Bay, and the recently completed Winthrop Center, which is the largest Passive House office tower in the world. As a national corporation founded and headquartered in Boston, Suffolk is an innovative industry disruptor dedicated to providing value for clients across the entire building lifecycle and leveraging technology to remain on the forefront of innovation and sustainability, ultimately changing the way buildings are planned, built and managed.
About Suffolk
Suffolk is a national enterprise that builds, innovates and invests. Suffolk is an end-to-end business that provides value throughout the entire project lifecycle by leveraging its core construction management services with vertical service lines that include real estate capital investment, design, self-perform construction services, technology start-up investment (Suffolk Technologies) and innovation research/development.
Suffolk – America’s Contractor – is a national company with more than $5.0 billion in annual revenue, 2,600 employees, and main offices in Boston (headquarters), New York City, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Estero, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Suffolk manages some of the most complex, sophisticated projects in the country, serving clients in every major industry sector, including healthcare, life sciences, education, gaming, transportation/aviation, government, mission critical and commercial. Suffolk is privately held and is led by founder, chairman and CEO John Fish. Suffolk is ranked #8 on ENR’s list of “Top CM-at-Risk Contractors.” For more information, visit www.suffolk.com and follow Suffolk on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.
