Crews at Mill Valley Middle School began mass excavation and dewatering work the week of Monday, July 13, 2026, bringing heavier equipment and new noise to the Sycamore Avenue neighborhood as the $95 million modernization project ramps into heavy summer construction.
The biggest change for families: the Harrison Skate Park closure has been extended through Sunday, August 31. The district's June superintendent's report had projected an early August reopening, but the weekly construction update published Saturday, July 11, pushed that date back by nearly a month, citing ongoing safety requirements from adjacent work.
Access between Friends Field and Sycamore Avenue is also closed for the duration of the project. Friends Field itself and the community center remain open, but users must park at the community center lot rather than cutting through the school campus.
What's happening on site
During the week of July 6–10, crews removed asphalt and curb sections, hauled debris off-site, graded the construction area, and installed a dewatering system, according to the district's weekly construction report. Starting the week of July 13, the scope expands: workers will install dewatering wells on both the south and north sides of Ryan Creek, begin mass excavation and utility potholing, and lay out retaining walls.
Two trucks enter and exit the site multiple times daily, following an approved route along Sycamore Avenue to Camino Alto to East Blithedale Avenue to U.S. 101. Trucks are limited to under five minutes of idling and may not queue on Sycamore Avenue. Contractor workers park off-site at Terra Marin School and shuttle to campus between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. to reduce neighborhood traffic.
Air quality and noise
The district reported that methane, volatile organic compounds, and PM10 (coarse particulate) dust levels all remained below action levels established in the Community Air Monitoring Plan during the week of July 6–10. Langan Environmental oversees environmental compliance on the project.
Work hours run 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with noisier operations limited to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekend work is possible with advance notice.
The bigger picture
The interim campus construction phase runs through December 2026 and involves removing approximately 13,000 cubic yards of soil, raising the site grade with lightweight concrete to prevent flooding, and installing 29 portable buildings. The district's timeline puts the temporary bridge installation over Ryan Creek in early August. Concrete pours for portable building foundations are scheduled for mid- to late August, and portable buildings will arrive between September and November, as early as 4–5 a.m. due to freeway restrictions on oversized loads.
Students in 5th, 6th, and 7th grade are expected to move to the interim campus in January 2027 and remain for approximately two years while the existing campus is renovated. The Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the renovation plan in December 2025. The project is funded by Measure G, a $194 million bond approved by voters in June 2022.
The district publishes weekly construction updates every Friday. Residents can sign up by calling (888) 889-MVMS or emailing [email protected].
