The middle school renovation is clearing its last hurdle this week

Good morning. I biked past Mill Valley Middle School yesterday with my two- and four-year-old in tow, on our way to watch the Hawks. By the time they're old enough to walk those hallways, the renovation will be done. The school board takes the last procedural vote Thursday.

🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly cloudy to start, clearing to sunshine by midday. High near 70. Tonight: partly cloudy, low around 54, with gusts up to 22 mph. (Source: National Weather Service)

Today's newsletter: The school board votes on the last steps before Middle School construction, Old Mill gets a new mural, and the Hawks softball team heads to the NCS playoffs despite a 2-1 loss. This Briefing is about 1,075 words, a 4-minute read.

- Written and edited by Franz Strasser-Galvis

What's happening Thursday: If the board votes as expected, construction on Mill Valley Middle School begins this June. The vote covers two procedural steps: exempting the renovation from city and county zoning authority under a California state law that allows school districts to do so by a two-thirds board vote, and adopting a construction noise policy developed with the city and general contractor FLINT.

What that means in practice: The noise policy sets a staggered daily schedule: FLINT crews arrive at 6am for vehicle staging and equipment mobilization, with heavy construction including excavation, demolition and contaminated soil off-haul running 7am to 5pm. The policy permits Saturday and holiday work for lower-impact tasks such as surveying, light earthwork and interior work, with 48-hour advance notice required to the district.

The district is targeting summer for the heaviest phase of work, while students are off campus. The district's own environmental review found construction noise to be an unavoidable impact that could not be fully mitigated.