MILLBURY, Mass. - A new $61 million elementary school in Millbury has been in the works for nearly five years. 

On Wednesday, the school district broke ground on construction of the new Raymond Shaw elementary school. 

The original school building was constructed in 1975 and hasn't received many improvements over the years. 

The district says the current school is no longer able to sufficiently meet their needs. 

"Over the years, the school district has taken good care of the Raymond Shaw school,” Superintendent Greg Myers said. “The problem is it was constructed on where three different brooks emerge from the ground. Some of those brooks, the water has penetrated our slab. And so in certain places, a handful of classrooms, in the main office, you can see in wet weather, especially the spring, when the water starts to run, that moisture comes up to the slab and it creates a real slip hazard."

The Massachusetts School Building Authority is expected to reimburse the town for approximately $24.5 million of eligible costs for construction.