Malibu Middle School to break ground on campus-center rebuild Play

Malibu Middle School is entering a new phase of construction, and this one will be right in the center of the campus. Demolition has been completed on the 50-year-old structures in the heart of Malibu High School.

After a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, construction will begin on the center of the middle school. This is north of the new middle school buildings on Morning View Drive, east of the gym and west of the football field.

Steve Massetti is overseeing the construction project, part of the $395 million bond project approved by Malibu voters. Massetti says this is the heart of the middle school going in now: "It is kind of in the middle of this campus, and that's always the hardest type of construction, but we're surrounded by campus here. We've got the upper parking lot to the east. Obviously, we've got the existing middle school buildings to the south of our area. And to the west, we've got the existing gym, and then further west, we've got our high school."

Massetti says the construction this winter will impact students, teachers, and everyone. "Although we may not be bisecting the campus, we're in a spot that is impactful for noise and just visually impactful. And I think everybody up there has been really good about dealing with that. We all know living through construction is tough, but in the long run, it'll be worth it."

The construction phase starts now — that would be phase two. In a few months, phase three will start: construction of the new Olympic-sized swimming pool. After that's done, the old pool will be removed to make way for the new high school gym locker rooms and other improvements in the upper campus. The fourth phase, back on Morning View Drive, will be the Performing Arts Center, still in the design phase.

All of this is made possible by a $395 million bond issue approved by voters. Next door, the $100 million new high school building has been open for three years; it was completed in an earlier bond issue. Overall, taxpayers are making a $1 billion investment in new buildings at Malibu High School and Malibu Middle School.

The groundbreaking for phase two of the middle school is Thursday morning at Malibu Middle School.