Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein was joined today by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, elected officials and representatives of The DeMatteis Organizations and The Mattone Group in celebrating a ground breaking for East Side Middle School's new 80,000 SF, $45 million facility.

The project, which is ECF's first privately-financed school project since 1980, represents a return of ECF to the school construction business in New York City.  The mixed-use development by DeMatteis Mattone includes the school, which has 540 seats, and a 241,000 SF residential and retail building that includes 155 cooperative apartments.

The project began construction in April 2007 and is expected to reach substantial completion by early 2009.