EXCLUSIVE: What Will The Next New Building Project In Wilmington Be?

WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Facility Master Plan Committee strongly encourages residents to attend a public presentation on Wednesday, June 29 at 6:30pm in the Wilmington Middle School Auditorium.

The presentation will outline suggested scenarios, which include the possibility of closing, rehabbing, consolidating, or redeveloping a number of municipal and school facilities. Input from the public will be sought to help the Facility Master Plan Committee in selecting 2-3 “preferred” scenarios.

In preparation for June 29, the Committee met last week to discuss preliminary scenarios for upgrading town facilities.  The Committee focused on four scenarios.

Scenario #1 (“Existing Allocations with Improvements”)

Goal: Extend the life of the existing facilities, correct deferred maintenance items, and improve the quality of municipal functions through incremental renovations.

• No new facilities
• Town Hall: energy upgraders, interior improvements
• Library & Book Store Next Door: provide accessibility; upgrade mechanical systems
• Public Buildings Office: major interior upgrades; accessibility access improvements
• Senior Center: minor interior upgrades; additional storage
• Veterans Services: modify to create private meeting area
• School Administration Office (Roman House): major exterior restoration; minor interior upgrades; major addition

Scenario #2 (“Municipal Campuses”)

Goal: Develop new building program to strengthen Town Common. Redevelop Town Hall site with consolidated municipal program.

Highlights:

• New Facility #1: Combined Town Hall & School Administration Office built on the Swain School site near the edge of the Town Common
• New Facility #2: Combined Senior Center & Recreation Center (like a “Boys & Girls Club”) built on current Town Hall site, with potential for senior housing development on other parts of the site
• New Facility #3: Public safety substation located in north end of Wilmington
• Library: Renovation & Addition
• Public Buildings Office: Close & integrate program into the Public Works campus
• Veterans Services: modify to create private meeting area
• Roman House would be closed and moved to an alternative location in the historic district

Scenario #3 (“Municipal Campuses”)

Goal: Develop new building program to strengthen Town Common. Redevelop Town Hall and Whitfield sites with consolidated municipal program.

Highlights:

• New Facility #1: Combined Town Hall & School Administration Office built on the Whitefield School site
• New Facility #2: Library built on the Swain School site near the edge of the Town Common
• New Facility #3: Combined Senior Center & Recreation Center built on current library site
• Public Buildings Office: Move IT office; improve available space to accommodate future needs
• Veterans Services: modify to create private meeting area
• Roman House would be closed and moved to an alternative location in the historic district

Scenario #4 (“Strategic Additions and Alternations”)

Goal: Develop new building program to strengthen Town Common. Redevelop Town Hall site and Whitefield School site with consolidated municipal program.

Highlights:

• New Facility #1: Combined Town Hall & School Administration Office built on the Swain School site near the edge of the Town Common
• New Facility #2: Library built on the Whitefield School site
• New Facility #3: Combined Senior Center & Recreation Center built on current Town Hall site, with potential for senior housing development on other parts of the site
• Public Buildings Office: Move IT office; improve available space to accommodate future needs
• Veterans Services: modify to create private meeting area
• Roman House would be closed and moved to an alternative location in the historic district

Interesting Observations From Meeting

• The town-owned property behind St. Dorothy’s is being eyed for senior housing or recreational space, NOT a new Town Hall, as some have speculated.
• Every NEW BUILDING scenario currently includes building a joint Town Hall/School Administration facility.
• Every NEW BUILDING scenario currently includes building a joint Senior Center/Recreation Center facility.
• Every NEW BUILDING scenario currently includes moving the Roman House from in front of the high school to an unspecified location within the Town Common area.
• There seemed to be a very strong desire within the committee to move a new town building to the Swain School site.  Every NEW BUILDING scenario currently includes building something — whether its a Town Hall/School Administration facility or Library — there.
• There also seemed to be a very strong desire within the committee to make use of the vacant Whitefield School site.

Don’t Freak Out!

• All of these scenarios are preliminary and won’t be finalized until the public input process plays itself out, which includes with the presentation on June 29.
• One of the next steps in the process is to price out each option. Those numbers will be calculated in the coming months and may alter the scenarios.
• The scenario that is ultimately chosen would be implemented over 20-30 years and is subject to change.  The first new facility likely wouldn’t be built for at least another 5 years.

Wilmington Apple will have follow up articles later this week on (1) the Committee’s current scenarios for Wilmington’s SCHOOL buildings and (2) the results of the Community Survey distributed by the Facility Master Plan Committee in April, revealing the feelings of 450+ residents on the current condition of each town building and perceived future facility needs.

(NOTE: Cover photo of library from lifefromtheroots.blogspost.com.)

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