School Officials Consider Purchasing Private Property for Maloney Renovation

The School Building Committee Thursday evening agreed to ask state authorities to review the feasibility of purchasing two private parcels of land on Gravel Street in connection with the renovation of Maloney High School.

The two properties, at 163 and 179 Gravel Street, would provide several logistical, cost and safety benefits, according to Angela Cahill, project manager for Fletcher Thompson, architects for the $108 million project. Those benefits are:

• The tennis courts could be moved away from the wetlands, avoiding the need for a costly retaining wall.
• Underground pipes for utilities could be laid out in a more efficient and less costly way. Engineers are concerned about the number of curves and joints needed to snake around the property at 179 Gravel Street rather than cutting straight through it.
• The properties could be used for parking, including parent drop off areas. This would eliminate the need for private vehicles to cut through the bus loop and allay safety concerns.
• The extra land would provide more maneuverability during construction.

The expense of purchasing the two parcels, assessed at $176,800 and $147,000, would not add to the overall cost of the renovation project, Cahill said. The cost would be balanced out by savings made possible by using the properties for the school.

Cahill also assured committee members that adding acreage to the site would not jeopardize the reimbursement rate from the state. Even with the added land, “it is a reimbursable site,” she said.

According to Glen Lamontagne, who has spearheaded the renovation efforts, “It will provide enhancement during construction and enhancement after completion. The plan is better and has a higher level of safety.”

The authorization came after much heated discussion in which several committee members expressed dismay about not being informed of the situation in advance.

“It was a slap in my face when I had to find out about it by reading it in the paper this morning, and I sit on this committee,” said Patty Murphy.

Lamontagne explained that the decision to consider purchasing the properties came about through collaboration among engineers for the architect and city officials working on the Gravel Street sewer project. They began to see problems with the way utilities were designed for the site. They also noted that a large sewer pipe passing through the lot at 179 Gravel Street made it problematic for the owner to stay there. The city planner and other officials were called in to review the situation.

“Early on we were asked to keep the discussion fairly confidential because there were ongoing negotiations with the owners,” Lamontagne explained.

“This is the most backroom, political thing I have seen in a long, long time,” Murphy replied.

She did acknowledge that she didn’t have a problem with the plan to purchase the properties, just the way the committee was informed about it.

Member Bruce Fontanella proposed that the committee tell the city that it was improper to give such late notice about the purchase of the two properties and request more notice in the future.

To add to the controversy, during the public comment session before the meeting, Jim Fredericks asked why the city was considering purchasing private land near Maloney, but not land currently for sale near Platt High School, which is also undergoing renovation. Instead of moving the Platt tennis courts to the area where the skate park now sits, Fredericks suggested looking at the empty parcel of land.

When told that the committee would discuss the question when they reached it in the agenda, but the public would not be part of the discussion, Fredericks said, “The public, who is paying for this project, isn’t allowed to speak about it?” He then left the meeting in frustration.

Lamontagne later informed the committee that Antinozzi Associates, architects for the Platt renovation, had looked at the property and found it unworkable because of the steep grade.

“If Platt was going to raise mountain goats or add a bobsled team, it would be a good addition,” Lamontagne said.