NOTTINGHAM, MD—The Maryland School for the Blind will break ground on a newly designed residential facility for students who reside on the MSB campus during the school week. The event will be held on October 11, beginning with a ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by tours of the renovated Newcomer-Case-Campbell buildings on campus.

Dignitaries involved in the ceremony include Carol Beatty, Maryland Secretary of Disabilities, and Mandy Remmell, Director of Baltimore County Executive’s Office of Community Engagement.

The construction of the new facilities is part of a multi-year campus improvement project that began in 2011 with the demolition of outdated buildings on the school’s 95-acre campus, which included new instructional buildings, residential dorms, an early learning center, and the renovation of the historic Newcomer-Case-Campbell buildings.

The Cottages on the Hill is a $28M construction project and includes multiple residential buildings comprising 23,000 square feet of living space. Plans also include relocating the Maryland Instructional Resource Center (MIRC) braille book repository to the lower level of the building, totaling 7,000 square feet.

The project was designed by Marshall Craft Architects and will be constructed by Lewis Contractors, Inc.

According to W. Robert Hair, MSB Superintendent, “We are very grateful to the state of Maryland, particularly the Interagency Commission on School Construction, for providing the necessary funds for this important campus improvement project. Creating an appropriate living environment for Maryland students who attend school and reside on our campus is critical for their educational journey.”

Founded in 1853, MSB is a private, statewide resource center providing outreach, educational and residential programs to youth from infancy to age 21 who are blind or low-vision, including those with multiple disabilities. Annually the school serves 1,300 students throughout the 24 jurisdictions of Maryland through its on-campus and outreach programs.

Photo via Pixabay