Last week, Town residents approved the funding of the Wellesley High School Building Project in a town wide election. Residents voted to support the debt exclusion, with 64% of voters in favor of the $87 million new construction project.
We greatly appreciate the significant effort of those who volunteered in multiple ways to inform and educate residents on the many viewpoints prior to the election. There were some competing opinions, values, and concerns. As a town, we enjoy a healthy democracy and respectfully debate the issues that impact us all. The strong support is affirming and we will continue to strive to meet the diverse needs of town residents as best possible.
Progress on the project continues and our efforts focus on the next steps (see below). We will provide information on the key decision points, important meetings and progress through this newsletter.
The members of the Wellesley School Building Committee wish you a very happy and peaceful holiday.
~The Wellesley School Building Committee
Permitting Process
There are multiple steps in the process of obtaining the necessary permits and documentation required for a project of this magnitude.
Last week, the project architects and Permanent Building Committee (PBC) appeared before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) in the first of many meetings to assure that the building project is consistent with Wellesley zoning bylaws.
The Project of Significant Impact (PSI) Application is scheduled to be filed on January 7th. The Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board will be meeting together on Wednesday, January 21st at 7:45pm at Town Hall to review the traffic portion of the application.
The interim Offsite Parking Plan will require a Site Plan Review by the ZBA, in addition to review by the Wetlands Commission and the Natural Resources Commission (NRC).
All meetings will be posted on the town calendar located on the home page of the Town's website.
Working Groups Focus Anew
Working groups are formed to focus on a specific set of issues or aspects so that we can make efficient and effective progress. There are currently three active working groups on the High School Project:
The Parking and Transportation Working Group was formed last August to assess parking and transportation both during the project and once it is completed. As part of this effort, there will be a Transportation Forum tonight, December 16th at 7:30pm at Town Hall to review a proposal for increasing bus service at the High School (more information).
The Exteriors Working Group, formed last September, will continue work on the exterior design. The design objective continues to be a balance of aesthetics, durability, and cost efficiency. The current exterior design integrates a composition of brick, masonry, metal and glass to visibly express the school's civic role in the larger community, while respecting the local neighborhood scale and context.
We are in the process of forming a Historical Preservation Working Group. The primary objective will be to inventory items in the current high school to be preserved by either incorporation into the new building or into another Town building. For further information on the Historical Preservation Working Group, please contact us. |
Contact Us
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SBC Members
Katherine L. Babson, Jr. Chairman Selectmen Representative
Steve Baker Citizen-Architect
Tom Goemaat Citizen-Contractor
Steve Gagosian Permanent Building Committee (PBC) Representative
David Mooney Advisory Committee Representative
John Moran Town Facilities Director
Hans Larsen Town Executive Director
Suzy Littlefield School Committee Representative
Kathy Mullaney PBC Projects Administrator
Cynthia Westerman Citizen-Project Manager
Bella Wong Superintendent of Schools
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