Existing School:
Built in 1938 with additions in 1956, 1963-64, 1979 and 2002 it presently is 234,000 SF. The nationally know, local architect, General Robert C. Dean, used the then new Stockholm Town Hall as inspiration. With the additions, the school was built to hold 1100 students. Now there are approx. 1250 students, and classrooms have been carved out of the library and the lecture hall to accommodate them.
Reasons for Modification to the Existing School:
The Wellesley High School population is projected to increase to 1,600 students by 2018; and all systems (heating, plumbing, etc) are at end of useful life.
Process:
Starting in 2002, the School Committee examined options to deal with capacity and building deficiency problems. In January 2007 a new committee was set up specifically to propose a solution to the building problems. A total of 25 options were reviewed: 12 of them involving a renovation/addition to the 1938 building and 13 involving a new school.
The Site:
It is severely constrained because of bordering wetlands.
Seaver Street Acquisition:
In fall 2007 the Town acquired the three houses on Seaver Street at the back of the school. One of them was sold and moved to Rice Street up near Washington Street. The other two will be demolished soon. The acquisition provides one acre of buildable land.
New School:
Ground-breaking was on September 29, 2009. The New School will be a four story 280,000 square feet all new construction to be built on the site of the current parking lot.(See attached rendering.) Completion date will be the spring, 2012. Students will attend the new school in September 2012, at which time the existing HS will be taken down. The site of the existing school will be the new site for parking. By the time of our 50th Reunion in 2014, the project will be complete and we hope to offer tours of the new facility.
The school will have many “green “ features: there will be rainwater harvesting; two geothermal wells to provide heat/cooling for the administrative offices; a solar photovoltaic array; a 10,000 square foot green roof; and a “dashboard” which will show the energy usage within the school. Some of the lovely architectural features of the existing building will be brought over into the new building. The “W’s” in stairs at the back of the auditorium, sconces from the outside of the building and the weathervane at the top of the existing tower will be used in the new building, among other features. In addition, flooring from the Original Town Hall (the Wellesley Country Club, Poor Farm) will be used as flooring in the “1938 Room” off the new Main Library named in honor of Wilbury Crockett.
Construction: Turner Construction Company is the General Contractor. Bidding will take place over the next several months. During the construction period, there will be no parking on site. Two hundred parking spaces have been cobbled together in the area, including converting the small basketball court on Hunnewell Field to tandem parking.
Town approval: Town Meeting last October voted 91% in favor of the HS project; the residents in a townwide vote last December approved the project costs by a 64% majority. However, it has not been without controversy. A citizens group, headed by Tory (Sal) DeFazio, advocated for renovations to the existing School.
Cost: The total cost of the project is estimated to be $130 Million, which includes the purchase of the Seaver Street properties, one mile of new sidewalks, etc. The State will be providing a grant of approximately $44 Million.
