Budget, Turf Appeal Discussed at HSBC Meeting

Town and school officials now have a timeline on the which was filed recently by a group of 10 residents.

Representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection were slated for a Friday morning walkthrough of the Wilmington High School site, officials said during Thursday night’s High School Building Committee.

Following the walkthrough, the DEP will have its decision to the town within 35 days. The response to the appeal, , is important because the turf is one of the first steps in beginning the construction schedule.

“Ourself and the design team feel we followed regulations and it shouldn’t be an issue,” said Jon Richardson, of Dore and Whittier at Thursday’s meeting. “If the appeal goes as expected, there shouldn’t be an issue with timing. But if it is denied and appealed again to administrative court, that can take some time. That has the potential to delay the stadium project.”

Because of how the schedule is set, the turf project is a pivotal step in the process. Field installation is on the docket for this spring, and will be used for physical education activities in the new school year. The reason for that is that the gymnasium is slated for demolition in July.

The high school project as a whole will go before the Conservation Commission on April 4.

“We are improving storm water conditions over the current plan,” said Richardson. “We’re within the buffer zone on the plan, but we feel confident the larger project shouldn’t have any major issues with the Conservation Commission.”

Richardson said the baseball field on the property will be slightly altered so the backstop will be further from the building. Currently, the backstop is 40 feet away at its closest point and after construction it will be 50 feet. The outfield fence will in turn be brought closer to home plate, but not significantly.

Also discussed at Thursday’s HSBC meeting was the budget process of the school. Currently, estimators have the project about $2 million over budget. According to Stuart Lesser of Joslin Lesser and Associates, this is not uncommon so early in the process.

But as a safeguard, Lesser reviewed ways the committee could decrease the cost without impacting the performance of the school if needed.

“We’re beginning to see an escalation in the marketplace, so we have to really be cognizant of that and be a little conservative,” said Lesser. “We have to look and see how we get back within budget, because that is ultimately the goal.

Richardson seconded that notion following the budget discussion.

“We’re committed to delivering this project on budget,” he said.

Another item on the agenda was the auditorium plans. Board members approved the blueprint which includes 634 fixed seats, 35 loose seats and seven wheelchair seats for a total capacity of 676.

The theater seating is raked and includes an orchestra pit. Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton said groups have already reached out to express interest in renting out the facility when it’s built. That could be a source of revenue for the district.

In addition to the April 4 Conservation Commission meeting, the next High School Building Committee session is April 19.