We appreciate the many responses that people have given to our Wellesley Townsman articles on the need for preserving and restoring the entire interior and exterior of the 1938 Wellesley High School. They represent an important voice in helping to guide the planning process for the high school project. Two of these responses have supplied documentation that reinforces our position on preserving the high school’s Wilbury Crockett Library and auditorium (see The Wellesley Townsman, December 21, 2006). The first comes from the Review Report, Wellesley Public Schools, Library Department K--12, dated April, 2006. It states, “The high school library has adequate overall area, some peripheral rooms, and could be a welcoming and inviting space for students.” This report details the results of a study of school libraries in Wellesley that was authorized by the Wellesley School Department and was conducted by a review board consisting of a director of information technology, a director of libraries, and library teachers from the local area. A second instance of community response to our articles cites the Wellesley High School Planning Alternatives Study, submitted on September 20, 2005, by Symmes Maini & McKee Associates (SMMA), the architects currently under contract for the high school project. It reads, “AUDITORIUM  Beautiful space needs sound system upgrade, storage space, and accessibility upgrades.”

The availability of such information points up the continuing need for town-wide input as a basis for discussion of issues and for gathering facts essential to making responsible decisions. We believe the importance of this process warrants the establishment of a town-wide Wellesley High School Building Committee. We recognize that the Massachusetts State Building Authority (MSBA) requires, for state reimbursement, a school building committee that includes representatives from town government, the school department, and others who oversee, specifically, the application and construction processes (963 CMR 2.10: MSBA, September 22, 2006). In addition to fulfilling this requirement, we are advocating the formation in Wellesley of a broader committee, to be appointed by the Board of Selectmen. This committee would guide all aspects of the high school project, including its planning, execution, and completion. Transparency of the actions taken by this committee would ensure its credibility and integrity. This town-wide committee would include representatives from town government, the school department, the Parent-Teachers-Student Organization (PTSO), high school neighborhoods, Wellesley’s institutions of higher education, and preservation interests. Also included would be an architect who is sensitive to Wellesley’s desire to preserve and restore the historically significant 1938 Wellesley High School building as the primary architectural focus of a state-of-the-art facility. This committee would enable the town to retain control of the project and to see it through to a successful conclusion. Establishing a Wellesley High School Building Committee presents a rare opportunity for achieving both openness and inclusion in a process that would encourage town-wide participation and result in a 21st century Wellesley High School with its identity intact.

Next week: Restoration and Preservation III - What needs to be done?