WLT: COVID-19, Events, and Response to Jericho Hill Transfer

Dear Land Trust Members and Members of the Waltham Community:

The Waltham Land Trust (WLT) is closely following the current situation with the COVID-19 coronavirus. While we continue to support everyone enjoying Waltham’s open space and the health benefits of the outdoors, WLT also recognizes that each of us must do our part to protect the health and safety of our community.

With that in mind, we will be cancelling all WLT events through March 31, 2020. April events will be assessed as more information becomes available.

We encourage people to continue to use Waltham’s green space which is a safer alternative to the gym for those looking to stay active. Please remember the recommendation to maintain a distance of about six feet from others, and refrain from approaching your friends and neighbors on the trails. We also encourage you to access maps on our website, rather than using the trail kiosks.

We know that this is a challenging time for Waltham and this situation is rapidly evolving. WLT will do its best to keep our membership updated and ask for your continued patience as we adjust or cancel programs in response to the available guidance and information. School closings and other disruptions continue to impact all of Waltham, but WLT is relieved to see our community coming together to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

Like many of you, WLT is working hard to balance continuing its mission with the recommendations for social distancing. While WLT will continue its advocacy for open space, we acknowledge that City officials must focus their time and attention on public health and safety at this time.

The COVID-19 situation escalated immediately following a particularly tough situation concerning the competing community needs for conservation and a new high school. Secondary to our support of the Waltham community’s health and safety, which is paramount, WLT would also like to take this opportunity to clarify its support for Waltham’s students. While WLT is disappointed that the transfer of the Jericho Hill parcel was approved with limited information, we are committed to moving forward in a positive and collaborative manner.

As we have stated from the beginning, WLT supports a state-of-the-art educational facility for Waltham’s young people and did not object to the use of the property at 554 Lexington Street for this purpose, provided this would ensure the protection of the surrounding open space. WLT is also mindful that it is essential to make sure that Waltham’s open space is interconnected, rather than segmented which diminishes its conservation value.

WLT continues to have significant questions about the recent transfer of Jericho Hill. It has been very challenging to find concrete information about the various deadlines associated with the new high school, whether they are from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), or others. The requested transfer of this land also came quickly and as a surprise. WLT will continue to advocate for the preservation of Waltham’s open space, which is also for the benefit of the kids in our community, when these unexpected issues arise.

We hope that in the future, City officials will feel comfortable discussing such options with WLT in advance to work towards collaborative solutions. We applaud the sentiment of Councillor Randy Leblanc’s proposal to preserve six acres of alternate open space if Jericho Hill is used for the high school. While no two pieces of land are alike, some have more conservation value than others, so it is regrettable that there was not more of an opportunity to discuss the details of how this would occur before the March 9, 2020 City Council meeting. However, when these types of difficult choices must be made in the future, we hope that City officials will attempt to work with WLT to try to arrive at solutions that meet both the urgent need for a new high school and critical conservation objectives.

WLT’s understanding is that the next step in this process is for the City to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) to MEPA. WLT hopes the DEIR will also evaluate other options for the design that stay within the forty-six acre perimeter of the 554 Lexington Street parcel, including adding one floor to the high school which was offered by the architects in their March 5, 2020 Update included in the electronic version of the City Council docket.

WLT will also pursue placing Conservation Restrictions on the parts of 554 Lexington Street and Jericho Hill that remain untouched by the high school design, as well as on Sanderson Heights and other at-risk parcels that must be permanently protected. Much of the land in Waltham that the public believes is protected open space lacks these restrictions which are essential to its permanent preservation.

Finally, WLT looks forward to reviewing and commenting on the DEIR when it becomes available, likely in May, and will encourage others to do the same. We understand the timeline of these activities is tentative given the current situation. Until the DEIR is complete, MEPA is not accepting other comments at this time. WLT will notify its membership when the next comment period is open.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as together we navigate the constantly evolving situation ahead.

Sonja Wadman
WLT Executive Director