With Stigmatine Out, Waltham School Committee Eyes Fernald Again For High School

WALTHAM, MA — The School Committee is plunging forward in an effort to find a spot for a new high school after Waltham City Council finally voted against taking the land that the Stigmatine Fathers & Brothers religious group currently use. And if it sounds a bit familiar, that's because it was the preferred option before Stigmatine came into play.

Facing increased enrollment the School District has been searching for space to rebuild an expanded high school. Earlier this month the School Committee and the mayor said their first choice was the Stigmatine land - the almost 50-acre parcel where the religious group sits and have openly said they do not want to sell. The council said made it clear they would not be seeking to use that land even by eminent domain in a close vote.

With that choice off the table, the School Committee to revisited using the Fernald property for the new high school after the Waltham City Council.

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The state sold the property to the city of Waltham in 2014 for $3.7 million with some historical preservation conditions, and retaining some rights to profit from future leases. The city bought a section of the property using non-Community Preservation Act funds. And considered using the property as a temporary spot for a police station while the current station was renovated, but that was unpopular among police. The 200 acre property has a mix of older buildings and open space set on rolling hills.

In 2016 the Waltham School Committee voted to request the Waltham City Council consider up to 50 acres of Fernald land for use as a new high school. The idea was to locate the school on the southern portion of the property, along Waverly Oaks Road. But that idea was eventually ruled out in favor of either building an expansion to the high school on the parking lot of the current high school or buying the Stigmatine property. In 2016 the state Historical Commission urged the city to consider other locations due to the site's historic significance as one of the first schools for children with disabilities. It also has a controversial history, as it used students there for small sterilization and radiation experimentation.

On Wednesday, June 21, the School Committee and Building Committee met to discuss new versions of what could be done with the Fernald property, including asbestos removal, building demolition and maneuvering around any conflict with land protection.

Of the 200 acres that the city owns, there is a portion of property that is not restricted. It's that portion the School Committee is considering. The committees voted to request.

"Is there a possibility of shared fields? yes," said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy.

The committees voted to explore the Fernald Property (with a minimum of 75 usable acres) as an educational site for a new Waltham High School on June 21.

Weren't we here before?

The Fernald Property was once the preferred site for a new high school and the city council was even considering using 50 acres of land, but that was tabled after the mayor caught word that the Stigmatines were considering selling their property. The School Committee and City dropped what they were doing with the Fernald property and focused on the Stigmatine property, which they had previously put on their wish list of preferred sites to house a high school.

Weren't there concerns with the Fernald site before ?

There were some challenges with the topography at the original non-restricted corner of the property, said Superintendent Drew Echelson.

In addition to tricky topography which might mean more floors to a building than ideal, at one point the Massachusetts Historical commission said there might be an unmarked burial site on the property that would need to undergo a dig. The local historians said it was actually just a playground, but just as that discussion was getting underway, the committees tabled it to discuss the possibility of Stigmatine.

So if there are issues, why go back to this spot?

The solution to those issues now is a land swap. It's possible to use land that is designated with restrictions if you trade it for other similar land. And that's what the committees are looking into. Echelson said the architect feels better about placing a school and parking on a portion of the land the committees could trade for non-cpa land.

What happened to the high school expand in place model?

The possibility of using the high school parking lot to build an addition to the high school is still on the table, said the superintendent, but he's not a fan. "There are many disadvantages to that," he said, adding not least of which involves construction 20 feet from the current high school and from where students would be coming and going. In addition, he said, the school population is growing by 4 to 5 percent a year. And this year along there were 140 new students at the high school alone. All the schools are close to full and the district is going to need more space across the board.

"The Fernald has always been something that's been considered. In fact, it's part of being really responsive to feedback from the school community, particularly folks who abut the Waltham High School," said the superintendent who added there were at least 10 public meetings on potential high school location so far. " And we listened to that feedback," he said.

When's the next public meeting on this?

There is a joint meeting of the school building committee and city building on Wed. June 28 at 6 p.m. at the Cannon Lecture Hall at the high school. The Waltham City Council, building committee, historical commission, preservation committee, conservation committee, recreation department and board have all been invited.

"We have to move forward with this project and the school committees and mayor are interested in what people have to say about it," said Echelson.

What's the ETA on a new school?

The superintendent said it was too soon to tell, exactly. "I'm hopeful we can get to some agreement due to Mass School Building Authority by September, once that's lined up then we can figure out a ground breaking timeline that's accurate," he said.

Watch the full meeting here:

-Image of map via School Committee documents

Photo By Daderot [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons