Company would oversee school construction project expected to start May ‘27

By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The Worcester County Board of Education unanimously approved hiring a construction manager to oversee the Buckingham Elementary School replacement project, pushing that undertaking closer to officially breaking ground.

At its meeting this week, the school board approved a contract, for $3,075,294 with Keller Brothers Inc., a Maryland-based company that will act as the BES rebuild’s construction manager. Keller Brothers will be responsible for providing preconstruction, construction, and post-construction services to the school replacement project.

School board member Jon Andes, who once service as the superintendent of schools for Worcester, asked if Keller Brothers has any previous experience in building schools on the Eastern Shore. The school system’s maintenance and operations manager, Sam Slacum, assured him and the board that the firm is well-equipped to take on the BES work.

“Keller Brothers have not been involved in building a new school; however, they have been involved in several contracts constructing buildings on the shore,” he said. “They have an office in Salisbury, so they are invested in this community … Most recently, they have completed construction on the Berlin State Police barracks. They are also the construction management firm that is building the public library in Pocomoke.”

The school board’s approval of the contract with Keller Brothers was unanimous. Member Elena McComas moved to accept the agreement and member William Gordy seconded.

The Buckingham Elementary School replacement project has been a county priority for some time. The project was officially approved last year, when the state and county both pledged the funds to ensure it could come to fruition. The local government will pay $47.9 million, while the State of Maryland will provide $25.8 million for the initiative.

According to the new school’s design plans, the building will be a two-story school with sufficient space to house grades pre-K through grade four. The facility will be about 90,750 square feet, with around 69,387 square feet planned for the first floor and 21,364 reserved for the top story. Construction is set to begin in May 2027.