Selectmen's Notebook: Delays Won't Put High School Project Over Budget

Results of Yentile Farm Survey are revealed.

While the new high school building project will cost more because of several lawsuits and appeals, it is still projected to come in under budget. Michael Newhouse, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, told fellow board members at the Feb. 11 meeting that delays in the project would likely tack on an estimated $1.5 million to the overall cost. Included in that is an extra $458,000 in the cost of steel. However, Newhouse said the additional costs have been offset by prudent decisions. These include going with "non-trade" bids for construction, foundation and demolition, according to Newhouse. He also explained that taking an "at-risk" approach to the project resulted in an additional several hundred thousand dollars reimbursement by the state…

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Bids Unsealed for Parts of High School Project

Town Manager Jeff Hull said it's too early to categorize whether the town will opt to use the winning bids.

Town officials unsealed bids for the high school project late last week, though it will likely take several weeks of research before they decide whether or not to accept the winning bids for portions of construction work on the school. Wilmington Town Manager Jeff Hull unsealed bids following the deadline to submit on Thursday. Hull said the qualifications of winning bidders are being reviewed before any decisions can be made. “The early read here is that there were certain categories where the bids came in significantly higher than anticipated,” said Hull. “Others came in more in line with what we anticipated, in some cases a little lower. Generally speaking it’s a mixed bag and (the town’s consultants) need to go through the numbers and …

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Appeals Report Possible Today Following Tuesday's Hearing

A DEP hearings officer could lay out the issues that will be discussed and the timeline moving forward for the high school appeal as early as Wednesday.

All involved parties in the Wilmington High School appeals spent about three hours in the same room on Tuesday discussing what issues will be debated during the adjudication process. During a pre-screening conference at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Wilmington office, each side made their case in front of hearings officer Timothy Jones, who will issue a conference report as early as Wednesday. That report is the next important step in the process as it will lay out which issues will be discussed moving forward and will also lay out a timeline for the appeals. “I think the meeting went as expected,” said Board of Selectmen chairman Mike Newhouse. “I thought the hearings officer was thorough in obtaining what …

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Matt Schooley

6:39 pm on Wednesday, August 15, 2012

I will have a full story Thursday morning on the conference report, but in short as of right now that information about construction isn't completely true. The hearings officer issued no ruling about the town beginning construction, and the town would have to file to the DEP if they want to attempt to do so during the appeal. And to answer your final question, no construction has begun on the …   more ›

Selectmen Discuss School Appeal at Monday Meeting

Board members cranked through a two-page agenda in one hour and during high school conversation said they were prepared for current appeals.

Wilmington’s Board of Selectmen discussed a variety of issues on Monday night, including the high school appeals on the eve of a pre-screening conference that kicks off the appeal process. After discussing the formation of a committee that will shape the planning of Yentile Farm, conversation moved to the current high school appeals. Board members discussed the progress of the appeals, and spoke about the process in advance of Tuesday morning’s pre-screening conference that kicked off the adjudicatory timeline. Chairman Mike Newhouse said on Monday that within about one week, the hearing officer will generate a conference report that will sum up what was accomplished during the Tuesday session. That document is a public record and will be …

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Kevin MacDonald

7:43 pm on Sunday, September 30, 2012

If you think that bringing higher income families to Wilmington will improve the town overall then you probably have not met some of the many lower income, fixed income, or moderate income families that are some of the greatest people this town has. Turf compounds that could cause cancer are not mindless details except for mindless people. Please take your lifted up nose to another town please.   more ›

UPDATE: School Appeal Prompts Policy Discussion at Deming Way

According to a Lowell Sun report, the Wilmington Housing Authority will discuss its current solicitation policy during a Thursday meeting.

Updated at 1:45 p.m.: Wilmington Police Lt. Brian Pupa said that as it is written in the general town bylaws, solicitation rules only apply to parties who are going to door to door to sell a product or service. According to Section 40 of the bylaws, anyone interested in speaking with residents door to door with religious or political materials do not need to check in with the Police Department in advance. However, Pupa said that if an area like Deming Way has its own set of rules that specify no solicitors of any kind, those instructions must be followed. Original Story: The filing of Kevin MacDonald's 14-resident appeal has prompted discussion on Deming Way after four elderly residents were approached to sign one of the two petitions that…

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For Now, Fourth of July Planning in Limbo After Appeals

Fourth of July Committee chairman Scott Garrant said event planners will have to assess how the appeals impact them at their September meeting.

For Wilmington’s Fourth of July planners, it isn’t a matter of if high school construction changes the structure of the town’s annual celebration. It’s just a matter of when. Fourth of July Committee chairman Scott Garrant said that though the festivities just wrapped up about one month ago, he and other planners will soon begin working on 2013. But the pair of appeals that currently remain unresolved could make planning efforts a bit more difficult for the committee. “The appeals are leaving us in limbo a little bit as to when we have to make adjustments to our celebration,” said Garrant. “We have a pretty good idea of what we hope to be able to do during construction years and once the new school is completed. It’s just a matter of when …

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You Ask... Patch Answers

Why Is Work Being Done at the High School?

For our latest 'You Ask... Patch Answers,' we address why construction work is going on around the Wilmington High School grounds.

Construction for the new high school is delayed as the town awaits the result of two appeals of the recent Department of Environmental Protection's decision.  But one reader wants to know. If the school is being appealed, why are town employees working on the grounds? "Do you know why the town workers were digging up the sidewalk and grass at the High School on the Adams Street side (on Wednesday)?," the reader asked. "I thought work could not be done on the site due to appeals" Town Manager Michael Caira offered up the answer to this question on Friday, and said the work is unrelated to the new school. "The School Department requested that the town provide additional parking spaces in that area to better accommodate staff needing closer …

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Josephine MorningStar

2:17 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012

are there barriers set up, to prevent the run off from this area going directly into the waterway behind and around the school?? I was under the impression that NO amt of disturbing the ground could take place that close to a wetland without it being approved by the state.. so what is the DEP # for that construction?   more ›

Wilmington Wildcats

School Appeals Impacting Wildcat Sports Schedule

With artificial turf up in the air, school officials will make a decision next week as to where Wildcat teams will play.

In less than one month, Wilmington High School sports teams will be taking the field for the fall season. But where exactly they'll be taking the field remains to be seen. Before the original appeal was filed earlier this year, school officials planned to have an artificial turf field installed for the start of this season. However, the first 10-resident appeal pushed back those plans. Instead, turf installation was slated to begin during the season to be completed in time for Wilmington to host its Thanksgiving Day battle against rival Tewksbury in November. In that scenario, the football team would have been forced to play home games outside of town while other Wildcat teams would host games in venues around Wilmington. But now that a …

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A Look at Both School Appeals in Full

A group of 14 residents and an abutter each filed appeals against the DEP's school ruling, and you can read each appeal for yourself here.

The residents appealing the construction of the Wilmington High School let their concerns with the Department of Environmental Protection’s decision be known when they filed a pair of appeals last week. Now you can have a look at the list of concerns for yourself. In the two appeals, which are posted in PDF format on this article, a group of 14 residents and one abutter list a wide variety of concerns with the high school plans. The appeal filed by 14 residents and led by Kevin MacDonald, the concerns include: In conclusion, MacDonald’s appeal asks the Department of Environmental Protection to take extra steps of caution before approving the school. “Unplanned remedial activities are typically more expensive, and more prone to creating …

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