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| PRESERVATION
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS IV (The Wellesley
Townsman – 04/12/07) The Wellesley High School Preservation Committee continues to raise the awareness of Wellesley residents of the important reasons for preserving and restoring our historic 1938 Wellesley High School building with its 1978 Wilbury Crockett Library. We shall continue to provide information and respond to frequently asked questions as a part of the planning for this important project. Here is another set of Q & A’s: Q. What is the current status of the High School project? A. The Wellesley School Committee has submitted the motion: “That the sum of $606,100 be appropriated to the Permanent Building Committee for the purpose of designing and planning a new High School.” On Monday, April 23, 2007, this motion will be voted on at our Annual Town Meeting under Article 25. According to the 2007 Advisory Committee Report (page 80), Town Meeting has already appropriated $915,000 since 2002 for various studies and reports on the High School project. This latest request by the School Committee for funding is an ill-conceived attempt to persuade citizens that Wellesley should have a new High School. This proposal was developed without true town-wide input, and it contradicts the Facility Advisory Committee’s recommendation to preserve the 1938 High School in the building project. Its narrow focus ignores the benefits that restoration and preservation would have for the town in its planning for a High School with optimal conditions for education in the 21st century. Q. Will an inflated price tag for “Concept C” be used by the School Committee to try to justify the demolition of the entire Wellesley High School on the pretext that building a new high school would be a cost-effective alternative? A. There is no question that “Concept C,” which was voted by the School Committee in November 2006, would have an unacceptably negative impact on the High School. It calls for the demolition of the Wilbury Crockett Library, the dismantling of the present auditorium to accommodate a smaller library, and the relocation of the administrative offices with the loss of the upstairs gymnasium. But to propose building a new High School instead of implementing “Concept C” would be to replace one bad idea with another bad idea. Restoration and preservation are more cost- effective than building new by more than 60%, (according to SMMA, the current architects for the High School project). Moreover, restoration and preservation offer an approach that is sensitive to and supportive of Wellesley’s educational heritage. Q. Do the Wellesley High School Preservation Committee and the Wellesley Historical Commission agree on the approach to the preservation of Wellesley High School in the upcoming project? A. No. The Wellesley High School Preservation Committee endorses the preservation and restoration of the entire interior and exterior of the 1938 High School with its 1978 Wilbury Crockett Library. The Wellesley Historical Commission, on the other hand, only supports retaining the exterior of the 1938 building and is willing to accept a so-called “gut rehab” that would destroy the character and identity of the High School. This approach refuses to acknowledge the historic integrity and educational value of the High School as an institution that continues to meet the test of time. Furthermore, the Wellesley Historical Commission recently removed Wellesley High School from any consideration for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Visit our website www.savewhs.org for frequent updates. The Wellesley High School Preservation Committee is a group of volunteers interested in preserving and restoring the interior and exterior of the 1938 original building and its 1978 Wilbury Crockett Library as part of the vision of a new High School. They meet on a regular basis and provide information of interest such as the article above regarding saving the original building. Meetings are open to the public. Our next meetings are scheduled for Thursday, April 19, 2007 and April 26, 2007 at 3:30 PM at the Wellesley Community Center. You can communicate your comments via: whspreservation@yahoo.com, or write us: WHSPC c/o P.O. Box 81245, Wellesley Hills, MA. WHSPC Members: Michael R. Cave, Deborah Crockett-Rice, Tory DeFazio, Paul Esposito, Margaret Gerard, Lee Herterich, Beth Hinchliffe, Antonio Jarvis, Gig Kerivan, Gerry Murphy, Jane Neilson, Rose Marie Richardson, Paul Shackford, Ted and Debra Takacs. |
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