Milford Schools Breaks Ground on New Middle School
On Thursday, April 20th, Milford Schools Administration, Board Members, Conger Construction, SHP, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), and State Representative Jean Schmidt participated in a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of construction of the new Milford Middle School. Students representing each Milford Elementary, and who will attend the new Middle School, were in attendance, as were current Middle School staff.
Student Participants:
- Sa’Voz Carter, Charles L. Seipelt, 3rd Grade
- Krosley Rausch, Meadowview, 3rd Grade
- Colton Fox, Boyd E. Smith, 4th Grade
- Tristan Shondel, Mulberry, 4th Grade
- Haiden and Logan Lenihan, Pattison, 5th Grade
- Avery Reece, McCormick, 5th Grade
The Milford Jr. High School Band opened the event and celebrated the groundbreaking by playing the Milford Fight Song.
Superintendent John Spieser, who was a teacher at Milford Junior High in 1994, opened remarks by sharing that he “always hoped this day would come” and thanked the community for their support of the school district and school staff.
State Representative Jean Schmidt shared a letter for the Milford community which included these words, “Schools are vital components of our community as they facilitate learning and growth. Our children are our future, and having quality school building for them to learn is vital to their success and our future as a community.”
Milford Junior High School Principal Misty Goetz, a Milford Schools alum and member of the Milford staff for eight years, reflected on her years as a student and shared that, “This is a chance to provide not only a new building, but a new legacy of learning. It will give our students even more opportunities to flourish and grow into a Portrait of an Eagle.” She continued, “The new Middle School will be student centered, safe and secure, and provide all the essentials our students need to move into High School and be college and career ready. This groundbreaking is more than just shovels and dirt. It stands for our community’s commitment to the excellence of our schools and our teaching staff who have so much passion for teaching and preparing our students.”
Justin Conger, President and CEO of Conger Construction said, “It’s a fantastic day to be here. It’s all about the legacy of the community that built the new school and creating a first class learning environment for kids.” He concluded by saying, “Thank you very much. We’ve worked hard to get to this day and appreciate the opportunity.”
Charlie Jahnigen from architectural firm, SHP, stated, “This is a really exciting point in the project and I want to thank the folks we’ve worked with including Jeff Johnson and the Administrative team, OFCC and the State of Ohio, and the residents and taxpayers that supported this bond. The building will be efficient and safe and our goal is for kids to wake up and say, ‘I love this school!’”
Board President Dave Meranda concluded remarks by saying, “I’m going to reiterate what everyone has said and thank the taxpayers. We’re really excited and the new Middle School is something our community can be very, very proud of. Let’s dig some dirt!”
In November 2021, the Milford community approved a 2.47 mill, 30-year bond issue for the construction of a new 6-8 middle school to replace the existing Milford Jr. High School.
The district will receive $11,559,512 in co-funding from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to pay for a portion of the project. The district's share is $55.9 million.
The last 18 months have been spent working through financial details, the bid process, and in the design and development phase. The new Milford Middle School will open for the 2025-2026 school year and will accommodate Milford 6th through 8th graders.
