By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — In light of concerns raised about the environmental impact of the planned new Northeast Metro Tech high school, in particular the loss of trees and wooded area, NEMT superintendent David DiBarri addressed some of those concerns at last night’s Town Council meeting.
Critics claim that the site chosen for the new school will needlessly destroy forested areas. They further argue that it would have made more sense to build on the current site of school athletic fields, in a similar fashion as the proposed new Wakefield Memorial High School.
DiBarri explained that when the site selection process took place several years ago, engineers and architects looked at three possible locations for the new school, including the “upper field” area, the “lower field” area and the wooded hillside area (owned by the school) that was ultimately chosen.
DiBarri admitted that he had hoped to build the new school on the current (upper) football field. But based on NEMT’s goals to increase student enrollment and due to the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s size requirements for such a school, it simply would not have fit on the upper football field area.
In order to fit the new school on the football field, he said, the school would not be able to increase student enrollment and in fact would probably have had to reduce the number of students. This year alone, he noted, over 1,000 students vied for just 330 available seats at the school.
The problem with the lower field area, DiBarri said, is that it is largely wetland and is not buildable. He further noted that that area abuts private property which would have necessitated a taking by eminent domain for egress, which was unlikely to succeed. That site would also have meant construction occurring right next to the existing school, which he said would not have met with MSBA or local approval.
DiBarri went on to say that the goal from the beginning has been to minimize tree removal and blasting. Even after the wooded site for the new school was finalized, he said, the plan was reconfigured to make the footprint of the new school smaller to reduce tree loss and blasting.
DiBarri also said that every tree that is removed will be replaced.
Joining DiBarri at last night’s meeting was Theodore Nickole, former NEMT Superintendent and current chair of the NEMT Building Committee. Nickole indicated that any trees that are cut down will be put to good use. He said that the school has purchased a sawmill and any useable trees that are cut down will be saved and the students will learn how to cut and season them into lumber. That lumber will be given to cities and towns within the NEMT district for use in creating benches, sheds, dugouts and other projects.
In addition, NEMT reps said that they are looking to create a tree farm in the portion of the NEMT property that is wetland area. The tree farm would supply cities and towns in the NEMT district with new trees.
Town Councilor Julie Smith-Calvin commended the NEMT representatives.
“In perfect world, we would save every tree,” she said, adding that it seemed that all efforts had been made to minimize tree cutting.
DiBarri urged the public to visit the NEMT Building Project website (northeastbuildingproject.com) for accurate information, especially when confronted by opponents of the project.
“We are still on track to start construction in February,” DiBarri said.
The Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School, located in Hemlock Road, also known as “Northeast Metro Tech” (NEMT), is a comprehensive vocational and technical high school, which provides academic and vocational programs for approximately 1,250 students from twelve surrounding communities: Chelsea, Malden, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Revere, Saugus, Stoneham, Wakefield, Winchester, Winthrop and Woburn.
In March 2022, the MSBA and the District executed the Project Funding Agreement (PFA) defining the scope, budget, and schedule of the project. The PFA authorized approval of a new $317.4 million school set within the wooded hillside on the district’s property.
The new 386,000 square foot school will be designed for Grades 9-12 and an enrollment of 1,600 students which is a sizable increase from the 1,250 students currently enrolled.
Work is scheduled to commence in early 2023 with tree/site clearing and blasting, which will allow for the construction of the new school to begin in September 2023. Once construction of the new building is complete, the existing school will be demolished in early 2026 to allow for site improvements and landscaping including playing fields, tennis/basketball courts, parking, etc. Project completion is scheduled for the fall of 2026.