Board endorses replacing Centerville Middle School, wins $850,000 design grant

The Queen Anne's County Board of Education voted March 4 to approve a feasibility study recommending full replacement of Centerville Middle School on its current site, with staff and architects saying the option would shorten construction time and better meet the district's net‑zero building goals.

"Maryland Energy Administration did advise us today that we were approved for the $850,000," said Darryl Bariclo, supervisor of facilities and design, announcing a design grant the district will apply toward net‑zero design work. The grant is separate from construction funding, which the board said remains subject to state and county approval.

The feasibility study, prepared with Wheeler/Goodman (Jeremy Klein), evaluated several alternatives. The committee and presenters recommended Proposal D — build a new facility adjacent to the existing building and demolish portions of the old structure after occupancy — because it would be less disruptive to day‑to‑day school operations and easier to achieve energy‑efficiency targets than a phased modernization. Jeremy Klein said the new building program calls for just under 99,000 square feet to replace the existing roughly 86,000‑square‑foot school.

Board members discussed construction sequencing and student safety during on‑site work. Officials said the recommendation anticipates construction beginning around June 2028 with an approximate two‑year build timeline and the district’s goal of students occupying the new building in August 2030, but noted that those dates depend on securing capital funding.

The board voted to support the building committee's recommendation and forward the feasibility study to the state for review. Staff said the board has design funding commitments from county and state sources for the design phase and will pursue construction funding through the state’s Built to Learn program, county CIP and grant opportunities.

The board also discussed related site matters after the vote: returning the former Board of Education building at 202 Chesterfield Avenue to county ownership and preserving alumni artifacts currently stored on site.

What happens next: staff will submit the approved feasibility study to the Maryland State Department for review and continue pursuing construction funding and additional grants. The project timeline presented to the board remains contingent on those approvals and on final design and procurement decisions.