Waltham High School Project Edges Forward

WALTHAM, MA — There have been dozens of public meetings in the past year as school officials work out a plan to build a new high school at 554 Lexington Street. The School Building Committee has held 86 meetings alone. Monday, the School Committee brought the latest proposal to the City Council with a request for a loan order of $374,567,386 to move the project along. And it went under the microscope once again, as young people stood holding sings like;"We all benefit from quality education," and "Do not politicize our education."

"I don't want this to be trapped in a parliamentary quagmire," said Councilor Kathleen McMenimen. "It's an awful lot of money. it's been a lot of blood sweat and tears by a lot of people."

After more than two hours of conversation, the council voted to approve the first reading Monday.

Councilor Tom Stanley, who is also a State Rep, wasn't present. Everyone else voted yes, except for Councilor Daniel Romard who voted against the approval of the first reading. Councilor Diane LeBlanc, who is also running for mayor, voted "present."

The proposal comes back in September for a "second reading" followed by a third and final.

Previously the city council voted to take the 43 acre property on Lexington Street by eminent domain to use as a new high school last summer. After being asked by a judge the city paid the Trustees of the Stigmatine Fathers, the small religious order which had owned the property for about a century, $18 million for it. After push back in court, the Stigmatines were ordered off the property this summer as work was done to access the property for the school.

The School Building Committee and School Committee had a couple more meetings this summer, submitted a more detailed description of the plan and scope and budget for the new $380 million (the MSBA grant is for $130 million) Waltham High School in early July. They winnowed the cost to $374.6 million, with the MSBA chipping in for about $111.7 million, according to offiicals.

"This is the largest capital project that the city has embarked on," said City Auditor Paul Centofanti.

Romard and LeBlanc expressed concern about the school's singular access road.

"If that's blocked for whatever reason," Romard said, "How will law enforcement get to this site and protect the students and faculty in the building?"

Officials said they'd had multiple meetings with fire department and police officials and explained that not only did the topography not lend itself to a second entry, but it not unusual for schools to only have one entry. The city's first responders gave the green light to the 24-foot wide road entry, according to officials.

"Shame on them," said Romard.

Watch the entire meeting on the city's Cable Access station.

More background
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 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 current 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 - it's 43 acres. The city-owned Fernald property was a strong contender but fell out as an option once environmental issues became clear.

When it became clear that the religious order that owned the property was not interested in selling it to the city, a number of city council members had at first voted against taking the property. With a deadline looming last year the city council voted to take the site by eminent domain.

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.

Previously reported on the Waltham High School in the Patch:

• Stigmatines Must Move By June 30 For Waltham High School: Judge
• 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).