Alma del Mar II Charter School

VERTEX served as Owner’s Project Manager for the new Alma del Mar II Charter School Project. Alma del Mar was established and opened its doors in August 2011 in a former New Bedford district building, the Sarah D. Ottiwell School. After significant growth, Alma del Mar applied for additional charter seats to open two new schools. The application was approved, and VERTEX was hired as the Owner’s Project Manager to work with the Alma del Mar Team to build their first building, the Ottiwell Campus, located at 515 Belleville Avenue, which opened in 2016. Building on the success of the first project, VERTEX worked with the Alma del Mar Team on their expansion, the Fredrick Douglass Campus, located at 739 Church Street in New Bedford. The $24M, 52,000-square-foot building is located on a four-acre site and houses 600 K-8 students.

VERTEX worked with the project team to reduce the cost and expedite the schedule by utilizing a custom metal building contractor very early in the process. This accomplished the goal of both reducing overall cost and schedule. 

VERTEX and Dellbrook/JKS construction managers were fortunate to work as a team after successfully completing the first Alma del Mar project. Dellbrook is noted for the collaborative method of construction management, which effectively provided the results for the Alma del Mar projects  

Alma’s new campus is named in honor of Frederick Douglass, one of the most prominent abolitionists and civil rights leaders in the struggle for equality in the United States. Douglass lived in New Bedford in the mid-1800s after escaping slavery. His powerful testimony – both spoken and written – is a fixture in Alma’s curriculum, and scholars across grade levels study his work and life each year.   

Address:  Fredrick Douglass Campus, 739 Church Street, New Bedford, MA

Square Footage: 52,000

Type of Project: New Construction

Designer: HMFH Architects

Contractor/CM: Dellbrook/JKS

Project Cost: $24M

To learn more about our Services or to speak with a Construction Expert, call 508.589.5061 or submit an inquiry.

PROJECT DATE OF NOTE,  JANUARY 4TH, 2022 – Was move-in day for the students of Alma del Mar Charter School in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  VERTEX extends our congratulations to the school on this major milestone. Learn more about Alma del Mar Schools.

Rendering image by Arrowstreet

This project was originally awarded to Compass which is now part of The Vertex Companies, LLC.