Waltham Council Approves $11M More For Stigmatine Property

WALTHAM, MA — The city council on Monday officially approved giving $11 million more to the Stigmatines for taking their property on Lexington Street, set to become a new high school, punctuating a years-long conflict and turning all eyes to the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

The city came to the agreement with the Stigmatines last month after 12 hours of negotiation: In exchange for another $11 million from the city, both sides agreed not to sue the other, and the Stigmatines agreed to leave the property. This move helps give Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) what it needed in order to grant the $110 million in state funding for the proposed $374 million high school project. They next meet in mid February, and Waltham officials anticipate they will approve the project allowing the city to begin construction.

This means the city will have paid $29 million for the Stigmatine property in total.

Now the city and the Stigmatines need to sign the drafted agreement and the city has until March to pay the $11 million or risk incurring interest.

"There are still issues to be addressed," Councilor Bill Fowler told Patch previously. "MEPA has told the city that it must do a full Environmental Impact Report and the real cost of the ledge removal needs to be determined."

What is in the report could have an impact on the cost or even the ability to put the school on the site, he said. It's not clear if the cost of addressing those potential issues will derail the project.

For years, the superintendent's office has been beating the drum about a need for an upgrade to the high school in order to accommodate increased enrollment and upgrade from deteriorating building conditions.

The current high school building is 449,700 square feet and was built in 1968, with additions made in 1998 and 2002. The state of the high school falls below standards, and raises the prospect that the city could lose accreditation of its high school over the next few years, unless significant progress is made on the building.

After back and forth between the school district and the city council about a site, the MSBA, which helps pay for school building projects, imposed a timeline for the city if it wanted to get money from the state to help pay for any of it.

The City Council and the School Committee voted to go with the School Department's preferred location at the Stigmatine property, in large part because of the size of the property - 43 acres. At one point the owners put the property on the market, according to court documents. The city-owned Fernald property was a strong contender but fell out as an option after officials realized environmental issues were bigger than originally thought.

When it became clear that the religious order that owned the Stigmatine property was not interested in selling it to the city, a number of city council members voted against taking the property. But, with the deadline set last year, the city council changed course and voted to take the site by eminent domain and paid the Stigmatine Fathers $18 million.

In February, the Massachusetts School Building Authority gave the green light to Waltham to begin the Schematic Design phase of the $381 million high school building project across the street at the Stigmatine property. This summer the district trimmed the cost to $374.6 million.
MSBA full board will not vote on final funds, until a decision of this court is issued on the summary judgment, an attorney for Waltham told a judge on Aug. 28.

In September, the Waltham City Council authorized the $375 million for the school, the most expensive high school project in the state. Latest estimates put doors open September 2024.

The Stigmatines will pay for their own relocation, and have until end of April to remove personal property, including statutes and tabernacles.

There's more to read on this:

• Waltham High School Project: Stigmatines, City Agree To Mediation (Oct. 2019)
• Waltham City Council Authorizes $375 Million For New High ...(Sept. 2019)

• Waltham High School Project Before City Council Again (September 2019)
• Waltham High School Project Edges Forward - (August 2019)
• Stigmatines Must Move By June 30 For Waltham High School ... (June 2019)
• Crews Begin To Evaluate Waltham High School Project Site (April 2019)
• Stigmatines To Waltham: No Surveyors On Our Property (Aug. 2018)
• Residents Camp Out At Waltham City Hall For Latest On High School ( June 2018)
• Waltham High School At Stigmatine?: Possibility Edges Forward(May 2018)
• Waltham Residents Rally At City Hall With Message About Stigmatine (Feb. 28, 2018)
• Waltham Mayor Lays Out Case For Stigmatine (Sept. 28, 2017)
• City Council Denies Eminent Domain Taking of Stigmatine (May 23, 2017)
• Stigmatine Official: 'Our Property Is Not For Sale' (May 18, 2017)
• Mayor McCarthy: Why I Didn't Speak At The Stigmatine Meeting(May 17, 2017)
• Waltham City Council Committee Rejects Eminent Domain (May 15, 2017)
• Waltham Mayor Requests Eminent Domain of Stigmatine (Feb. 2017)
• Community Meetings On New High School At Stigmatines Begin
• State Board Gives Green Light To Waltham High School Next

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).