Friday, March 29, 2013
State dignitaries will join residents and local officials at ceremony.
Question: When will the groundbreaking ceremony take place for the new high school? Answer: After numerous delays and appeals, which saw the project pushed back a year, the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wilmington High School has been scheduled for Thursday, April 25, at noon. The event will begin with a ceremony on the Town Common before attendees walk over to the site of the construction project on Church Street for the actual groundbreaking. Members of the Wilmington Legislative delegation, along with representatives from the state's School Building Authority are expected to attend the event, along with local officials, members of the Wilmington education community and town residents. School Committee Vice Chair Robert …
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Wilmington High School
159 Church St, Wilmington, MA
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The town can unseal trade construction bids on Thursday, and is preparing to move forward with demolition plans.
After more than a year in limbo, things are starting to heat up for the Wilmington High School project. While the appeal of abutter Gerry O’Reilly remains at the Superior Court level, there are several upcoming milestones for the project. Thursday is the date that the town will be able to unseal bids for trade construction. If the town is satisfied with the winning bids, it can plan on moving forward and accepting them. When the town opens the bids, they will know whether or not their projections for the cost increases associated with the appeals over the last year were accurate. In addition, the deadline recently passed for the town to file its response to O’Reilly’s claim. Board of Selectmen chairman Mike Newhouse said that while there …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Board of Selectmen opted to move forward with the bid process on January 24 following a vote on Monday night.
For the first time during the appeals process, the Board of Selectmen quantified the impact of the appeals process. Selectmen discussed at Monday’s meeting whether or not to go forward with the bid process for work on the high school despite the school currently before Superior Court. Chairman Mike Newhouse said that when trade bids are unsealed after they come in by January 24, the town is estimating there will be an additional $1,755,000 that is attributed to the appeals. He added that the last six months will prove to be especially costly, counting for about $1,060,000 alone and the numbers will continue to climb the longer the town waits. “In round numbers, we are expecting that if we put off the work that we contemplate, it’s likely …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The decision to take down the gym despite the pending appeal was announced at Wednesday's School Committee meeting and will serve as the first true construction at the site.
Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton announced during Wednesday’s School Committee meeting that the Wilmington High School gymnasium will be demolished over February vacation. Though the high school project is currently being appealed to Superior Court, it was previously ruled that the Activities and Use Limitation (AUL) was not allowed as part of the appeal, leaving the door open for the town to begin work on at least part of the project. February vacation is slated to begin on Monday, February 20. On February 11, Benton said fencing will be put up in the area. As a result, an alternate parking plan will be put into place. To date, 90 seniors applied for and received parking stickers. There is also room for about 80 additional student …
Monday, December 10, 2012
In a statement, officials said they remain confident that the latest, and final, appeal will be ruled in the town's favor.
Editor's Note: The following is the official statement from the town about the Wilmington High School project, which was officially taken to court late last week. The town was served to Superior Court, and is currently looking into whether abutter Gerry O'Reilly and his attorney filed by November 21 deadline. To find all of Patch's coverage on the high school appeals in one place, visit our link to the new high school topic page. Here is the town's official statement: "Mr. O’Reilly has filed an appeal to Superior Court relative to the Final Order of Conditions issued by DEP. The Town is reviewing the complaint with counsel, and we will continue to do everything within our power to move the construction of the new high school forward, and …
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Town Hall
121 Glen Rd, Wilmington, MA
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Friday, December 7, 2012
A complaint was filed on behalf of Gerry O'Reilly, though the town believes it has arrived after the deadline.
Editor's Note: A clarification was made to the second paragraph of this story. The Wilmington High School project is going to Superior Court after a complaint was filed on behalf of abutter Gerry O'Reilly. Town officials believe that the appeal may have been filed after the deadline. Town Manager Jeff Hull said it is the town's stance that the deadline was actually November 21. The town officially was served on Thursday, and its attorneys are now looking into whether or not the appeal was filed in time. "I think the vast majority of the population is disappointed that we have had to jump through these hoops," said Board of Selectmen chairman Mike Newhouse. "We're reviewing the complaint with counsel. Obviously this is something we are on …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Appellant Kevin MacDonald did not comment on whether or not he has filed to take his appeal to the next level.
Updated at 3:20 p.m.: Board of Selectmen chairman Mike Newhouse confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that as of today, no appeal to Superior Court has been filed with just over one week remaining until the deadline. Newhouse said the town is continuing its efforts to prepare the project to be ready to continue as soon as possible in the event that no appeal is filed. "Based on the fact that no appeal to Superior Court has been filed as of this date, the Town is moving forward with plans for the construction of the new high school," said Newhouse. "Specifically, in accordance with the Final Order of Conditions issued by DEP, the Construction Manager has scheduled a pre-construction meeting with Mass DEP for early December, and the Town’s design…
Friday, November 16, 2012
Several readers have asked what the town could potentially do to regain money from a possible increased cost due to the high school appeals.
It's one of the most commonly asked questions by supporters of a new Wilmington High School who are eager for construction to start but are instead left waiting for the appeals process to conclude. Who is going to pay for the cost of the delays? "I was going to ask if the town has any recourse against (the appellants)," one Wilmington Patch commenter asked. "Anyone know if the town is considering this? Can we as town tax payers file our own suit?" The answer to this point in the process is no, according to Board of Selectmen chairman Mike Newhouse. "One of the many problems with the existing regulations is that the Department of Environmental Protection Hearings Officer, unlike a judge in a court of law, does not have the authority to …
After Wednesday's ruling by the Department of Environmental Protection, Superior Court would be the next step for the high school appeals.
Mike Newhouse said he’s been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel for a long time. But for town officials, it’s getting a bit brighter after the latest Department of Environmental Protection ruling. After the DEP Commissioner ruled late Wednesday that he would not reconsider his decision to allow the dismissal of both high school appeals, Newhouse said it did not come as a surprise. “I think it’s fair to say that we’ve all seen the light at the end of the tunnel from the beginning because we never doubted the validity of the town’s position, and the DEP’s position,” said Newhouse, the Board of Selectmen chairman. “The light has been at the end of the tunnel, it’s just been a matter of how long is the road we need to travel. …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Late Wednesday the Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner ruled that he will not reconsider his decision to accept the appeal dismissal.
Petitioners against the new Wilmington High School have been dealt another blow in their appeal efforts as the Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner ruled that he will not reconsider his decision to accept the dismissal of the school appeals. Commissioner Kenneth Kimmell sent notice to the involved parties late Wednesday that he adopted the decision of Hearings Officer Timothy Jones, who ruled that there was no merit to the appeals and thus they should not reach the hearing. The appealing parties now have 30 days to appeal the project to Superior Court, which is likely the final step in the process. It's not immediately clear if the appellants officially plan to take the project to Superior Court, but they have indicated to …
Devin Botelho
2:07 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
I Wish they made the tech bigger so everyone could go in I hate Wilmington Public Schools more ›