SABATTUS – School officials have unanimously voted to award to a Standish firm the building contract for the intermediate/middle school on Ballpark Road.

“It feels good to be making this kind of progress,” Superintendent Paul Malinski said.

Arthur C. Dudley Construction/Builder of Standish will get the $6,322,339 contract to build the approximately 48,000-square-foot school, which will house grades three through eight, he said.

The old school will be renovated and house kindergarten to second grade, Malinski said.

The contract for the renovation will likely be put out to bid early next winter, he said.

“It’s one project with two separate parts,” Malinski said. The total project will cost approximately $9,139,000, he said. Voters approved the work last June.

The new school will hold approximately 375 students. School officials hope to break ground in mid-May, Malinski said. And they have targeted July 2004 as a completion date for the project.

“That’s what we’re aiming at,” Malinski said.