Doherty building meeting

posting as we go; here's hoping the presentation goes up online. Also there is still no posting of who is on the school building committee
preliminary design phase
big emphasis that these are "looking at options"
base options, redesign, new build

building committee will vote Sept. 9 will vote on if other sites should be considered
"a 50 year school" is what they are building
look at all factors and decide what will be the best option
architect says they've been "renowed at MSBA" for their designs
have had to face "very compact urban sites" including three in Worcester: including Woodland Street so "we know tight"
"have developed an understanding of what is important in that regard"
also have a good understanding of renovation; Leominster High had 16 phases of renovation, as the building was being used while they renovated
developing new sites while existing building is still being used; photos of Nelson Place which is called "phased occuped construction"
building on an unoccupied site; cites Worcester Tech
"like many sites in Worcester, very challenging site" (and she mentions wetlands)
breadth of work..."what type of background we're bringing forward"
what meets the educational program of this school is the primary consideration

Mayor Petty: there's no vote tonight; it's informational
says he thinks it's the most important project in the city right now
promised three schools "and we got three out of four done" (I think he misspoke there?)
Supt Binienda: such collaborative work
"a lot of people working, always thinking what's best for every single student who attends Doherty"
now reviewing Chapter 74 programs (as at the last School Committee meeting in June, so I am not going to type that again)
vote Sept 9

back to architects
preferred solution will be developed through the winter, developing cost estimates from which city will authorize funding
fall of 2024 for occupancy UNLESS addition/renovation "which tends to go longer"
"does not look like a good candidate" for renovation/addition
will need to work that out, due to MSBA proposal requirements, but "pretty confident" it won't "show well in that regard"
program shows that it's about a 420,000 square foot building and 1600 students; larger than Worcester Tech and South High (separately)
career and tech additions and special ed part of reason for addition in space
connection to outside, including space that can be used during outside and outside world in after school
9th grade academy; pairing of math/science and English/history
"what is appropriate career programs" in terms of "pipeline for work and demographics"
three sites considered; beginning site, plus MSBA site
170,000 square foot building now; up to 420,000 square feet will have to be a compact, 4 story building
bus circulation (8-10 buses), special ed buses, separation of pick up and drop off by parents
250 parking spaces on site; increase to over 400 parking spaces (this should be questioned, unless it's additional staff)
13 acre site if all of these were put on a site
"Doherty has the greatest participation in sports of any program in Worcester"
Note: The biggest predictor in youth sport participation is adult household income; this is demonstrating a basic equity issue, not an interest issue
school is looking for sizing up; would like baseball, football "and overlays"
"and then tennis and basketball and a track around those" (did we have this conversation with any other school?)

"if there were a good site outside the quadrant we'd consider it"
about a half a dozen sites available inside the quadrant; "very highly residential, very hilly; sites that have not been developed, have not been developed for cause"
several eliminated due to steep or distant
thus brings us to Doherty site; 20 acres "with no expansion of this site"
Foley Stadium is very well-scheduled, very well used
Beaver Brook fields are parkland, very heavy community use: Little League fields and smaller fields
Chandler Magnet: hill, current site of elementary school, across from Worcester State

for here: no build; addition/renovation; or new build
potential swing space; "no available swing space in the city" and even if there were "it would cost a lot of money to be developed"
put building on practice space; then "enabling phase" from parking lots
alternative practice fields for duration of building (as was done at South. And North.)
would finish for spring of 2024; "constrained site" with a little more construction cost
a decked parking garage; then a football field and an overlay field for softball
a four story building; "it will hold a presence on the site" which I think means you'll know it's there

Foley Stadium; flat site, residential on several sides, within quadrant
disadvantages: stadium "is very heavily used"
84 inch conduit running under site
"historically Beaver Brook was a swamp that ran through here"
the site has been filled to build the stadium
8 to 14 feet of urban fill and coal ash, used to fill the swamp (this is BAD to dig into)
Beaver Brook is article 97 parkland, a flood plain, recently redone (that's Article 97 of the state constitution; it literally is state protected)
a building at Foley "would have to sit on piles"
and would look at surrounding sites for acquiring more land (note: not reimbursed)
could fit building and one football field


Chandler Magnet: current school is there; used as elementary, was built as a junior high
20 acres
was build to house around 800 kids
site is bounded by May and Chandler, so on two access road
climbs up 70 feet to top of hill from school
potential of building school without alternating acreage of site
school would almost have to be a campus plan due to shape of site; would have to break into two buildings
"think this building compromises program" due to fit of building (aka, they don't like this plan)
so: then negotiation with WSU about President's House space and garden lot to the front of Chandler
then could expand site out to Chandler to give more space, thus allowing for a single building on the stie
excavate back with retaining wall could get a track and a field and another practice field
would also negotiate with neighbors for buffer strip
"advantage is build elsewhere" and then move Doherty students
"impact to students is very very minimal" to DOHERTY students, note
"this would be the most economical one" EXCEPT WE WOULD HAVE TO FIND A PLACE TO PUT SEVERAL HUNDRED ELEMENTARY STUDENTS
note that we already don't have enough space for elementary students in this city; in fact, we just increased the amount of space we rent at the Main Street Y; half the kids from Chandler Elementary actually attend school at the Y
None of the above on Chandler Mag students is mentioned here

two sites that rank highest are current site and Chandler Magnet site with additional land

Q: could we develop on Beaver Brook INSTEAD?
that's parkland; this went on at greater length, but the upshot is: no.
Q: couldn't we just put the fields here after building on Foley?
would have to study and there would be pushback
"there was some deed language put in" when the Fire Alarm building was done
Doherty being voted as surplus means the site reverts back to the Parks

Q: where would Doherty students go?
feel confident that we could keep this school in operation while new school being built on site
Q: what about Chandler Magnet? (finally)
Binienda: "that's not a neighborhood school" so they'd just go back to their neighborhood schools or to the other dual language programs which do not have space for this many kids
Also, this isn't all a dual language program; it's the only bilingual program, which is not the same thing! 
"about 500 students" there currently

Chandler Mag is 62% English learners; 80% of the students identify as Hispanic


there's a bunch of pushback, none of them actually questions, of if one could actually fit a high school here and how what would fit
and the whole push from the crowd is if Doherty students will be impacted in any way while construction is going on, which is how we have built Nelson Place and Nelson Place and South High

This hasn't come up, but we'd have to pay for the windows at Chandler Magnet, too, if that were taken, since those were MSBA funded recently: $2.8M of a $4.4M project, though if I remember correctly, there's depreciation involved. 

Friends of Newton Hill hosting a walk next Monday at 6:30 at top of Doherty parking lot for edges walk
next meeting is Monday, September 9 at 6:30 at Doherty, which is the building committee vote for preferred option