BERLIN, Md. - A proposal to demolish and rebuild Berlin Intermediate School is moving to the state level after Worcester County leaders advanced a feasibility study recommending replacement over renovation.
The Worcester County Commissioners approved the study, which now heads to the Maryland Interagency Commission on School Construction for review. If the state signs off, the project would move into the design phase, with school officials targeting a spring 2029 groundbreaking and a fall 2031 opening.
The project is estimated to cost nearly $85 million. Officials say the replacement option would be less expensive and less disruptive than renovating the existing 55-year-old building.
Brian Cook, Worcester County Public Schools coordinator of facilities and grants, said the school system studied multiple options before landing on replacement. He said the current building opened in 1970 and has not had major renovations or updates.
“It’s a 1970s building that has not had any major renovations or updates, and it’s just hitting some systematic challenges because of age,” Cook said.
Cook said the school’s HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems are nearing the end of their useful life. He also pointed to other issues, including the lack of air conditioning in the gymnasium and the challenges of fitting modern academic programs into an older building.
The study also looked at renovation options, but Cook said those would require a longer construction timeline and greater disruption for students and staff.
He said a renovation could take about 42 months and require temporary classroom space outside the building.
“We would have to build what I call a portable farm or a portable community where we would have kids and have classrooms outside, essentially,” Cook said.
Cook said that, when the options were compared side by side, replacement was the better value.
“When we really laid it out side by side, the replacement was actually the better costs per dollar for taxpayer dollars,” Cook said.
Inside the school, Principal Dr. Amy Gallagher said teachers and staff have worked to make the current building serve students, but education has changed significantly since the building opened.
“The way that we educate students in 2026 is very different than it was in 1970,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher said staff have had to be creative and reimagine spaces as student needs have changed. She said one of the most common requests from staff, students and families is tied to the school’s open floor plan.
“Much of Berlin Intermediate School is wide open,” Gallagher said. “I would say the most commonly requested change by our staff, our students and our families is to have doors on the classroom through the lens of safety, which is absolutely our top priority.”
Gallagher said a modern building would provide more intentional spaces for collaboration, technology and project-based learning. She said the feasibility process included meetings with staff, central office employees and law enforcement partners to discuss what works in the current building and what needs to change.
“The folks who are in the classrooms every day with the students, they are the best to tell us what they need to move learning forward in the coming years,” Gallagher said.
Outside the school, traffic is also part of the discussion. The proposed replacement would include a longer drop-off loop and changes to bus access. School officials say those changes would improve safety and traffic flow around the campus.
Heather Siegmund, who lives across from the school on Franklin Square, said traffic during pickup and drop-off is already a concern.
“In the morning and in the afternoon with the schools dropping in and letting off, I mean, traffic is insane,” Sigmund said.
Sigmund said drivers turning in from Route 113 often have to wait as school traffic moves in and out.
Commissioner Chip Bertino said he supported moving the project forward because the school needs to be replaced. He said county officials have worked with the state and the Board of Education on a financial plan that increases state participation and reduces the burden on county taxpayers.
“It’s a lot of money to pay for a school, but that’s what the market is right now,” Bertino said. “The state will be kicking in about $23 million.”
Bertino said many school buildings in Worcester County were built decades ago and are reaching the end of their life cycle. He said the Board of Education has maintained them well, but major investments are now needed.
“Our schools are, for the most part, relatively old,” Bertino said. “A lot of them were built in the 1970s, and they’ve really reached the end of their life cycle.”
Cook said once the feasibility study is submitted to the state, the review process could take one to two months. If approved, the project would move into schematic design before advancing to construction documents, bidding and construction.
School officials said the new building would be constructed on the existing site.
