Dale School on Elm: Loss of Wooded Acres, Historical Dig Mandated

Times were different when the Wheelock School was built on Elm Street in 1969 -- long before today's laws to protect open space, groundwater, and historic assets were enacted.

As the preliminary proposed plan to build a second school on the Wheelock site moves toward a Dec. 29 report submission deadline with Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), many Medfield residents, and at least one state agency, have raised concerns about the sensitivity of the location. Loss of open space, danger to town aquifers, and possible harm to archaeological assets are among the worries expressed.

(Two final 2020 meetings will be held to discuss the Preferred Schematic Report before submission to MSBA by its Dec. 29 deadline: Dale Street School Building Committee, 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 21 and Board of Selectmen, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 22.)

What is the Preferred Schematic Report (PSR)?

The draft Medfield Preferred Schematic Report is a 1,900-page document required by MSBA that describes in detail the process and proposed plans for the Dale Street School project. Sections include details on site and design alternatives, budget and cost projections, studies and reports, and past meeting summaries.

On Dec. 9, the Dale Street School Building Committee discussed and voted to approve the PSR submission to MSBA even though an existing conditions survey report (a $14,000 expense), list of municipal projects, and tax impact and town debt information were not included. At the time of this writing, an updated PSR could be found on the project website, but it was still missing most of the noted information.

Once MSBA receives the report, it will provide comments and questions to the School Building Committee, and a preliminary meeting to discuss the project will be held in January. The MSBA board is scheduled to vote on the PSR on Feb. 11, 2021. Both MSBA meetings will be public with information available here once posted. Ultimately, it is anticipated that Medfield citizens will vote on the school project at a Special Town Meeting to take place in fall 2021.

Key Details from PSR, Plus Recent Developments

• Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has mandated an archaeological study of the proposed school impact areas on the Wheelock site. This study is a reflection of the historic nature of the Elm Street area, and the town of Medfield overall. Depending on early analysis and phase one findings, the study could take any number of months and may engage Wampanoag and/or Nipmuc tribal representatives. The Dale Street project budget will incur an additional expense for the study.

• It is estimated that approximately 6-8 acres of wooded land will need to be cleared from the proposed Wheelock site, including $14,000 of tree removal, with much of it to be replaced by parking and a bus loop. With additional clearing of wooded areas for playing fields, the total cost could be closer to $25,000.

• The Wheelock site will require new installations of gas, sewer, water and telecommunications capabilities, plus intensive stormwater treatment measures given the sensitive location and the need to ensure water quality. (The current Dale Street utility infrastructure is sufficient for handling projected enrollment and may only need repairs.)

• The landscape architecture firm noted that additional parking lots, car and bus drop-off points, and new ball field layouts will have a "likely negative impact to the environment."

• Additional budget information in the draft report shows at least $1.7 million in new or increased administrative and instructional salaries, materials & services, plus facility costs will be needed when the school is projected to open in 2024 with 548 students.

• Projected traffic increases on Elm Street are anticipated to shift from "good" pre-pandemic to "very bad" based on the combination of two schools on one site. Currently, about 30 grade 4-5 students walk or bike to Dale Street School each day vs. 0 walkers/bikers reported at the grade 2-3 Wheelock School. A lower number of walkers and bikers for the Wheelock site would result in increased bus or car transportation. Current traffic assessments only focus on streets in close walking distance to Wheelock School, and not streets also likely to see an increase in traffic such as Park, Miller, Pleasant, Oak, Metacomet, Curve, Pound and South Streets, as well as Nebo, Foundry and upper Philip Street. (A Dale Street School Building Project survey is now underway -- click here to access it.)

Elm Street History

According to the History of the Town of Medfield by William S. Tilden, Elm Street was laid out in 1652 -- one year after the town of Medfield was incorporated, and 24 years before it saw action during the King Philip War.

Beyond its historic significance, the street is considered a scenic corridor as it winds over Mine Brook, past old stone walls, former farmland and current wetlands, and antique homes (including the Hannah Adams house and another Adams homestead) and into Walpole.

After the current Wheelock School was built on Elm Street, the town "embarked on a program of land acquisition on both sides of Mine Brook" to protect its "new well-field watershed from the ravages of early pollution," according to the 1969 Town of Medfield Annual Report.

Since those early days, Medfield citizens have repeatedly voted at Town Meeting to purchase open space to protect it from development.