Vocational School Students to Help Build Field House At New Miller Field Project

By Sue Ellen Woodcock

The Miller Field Committee met Tuesday night with the principal of Northeast Metro Tech High School in Wakefield to discuss details of how her students will be able to work on the Miller Field project.

Carla Scuzzarella, principal of the tech school said, her students can build the field house at the new Miller Field.

“This will be a big project for us. A lot of pride,” Scuzzarella said.

The project for the students would begin in the classroom with computer aided design, drafting plans for building. Then the Miller Field Committee would approve the plans – which will include a snack bar, bathrooms and lockers. Students will then work on-site under the supervision of their teachers, who are all licensed in their trade. The students do it all, from framing to electrical and plumbing to HVAC and metal work. The concrete pad the field house is built on will be poured by the main contractor and all utilities will be started.

Currently, students are putting the finishing touches on a home in Wakefield. Winthrop student Scott Golden, who attends Northeast Metro Tech, will be one of the members of the student workers.

Committee member Chuck Adam said he had been involved with a similar project with the Greater Lawrence Voke Tech.

The school carries its own insurance and will determine how supplies will be purchased.

Miller Field Committee member Dave Girard said construction on the $9.8 million Miller Field project should begin in the spring of 2017. During that time the pad for the field house will be poured. He wants to make sure the design is nailed down so students can start working in September 2017.

In other committee     business:

Art Leventis, of Woodward & Curran, updated the committee on the permitting process with the ArmyCorp of Engineers, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He noted that two permits are being held up for questioning. The project not only contains Miller Field, but also the golf course where there have wetlands, including Lewis Lake. On one permit the DEP is questioning a wetland area on the golf course. During the public comment period of the other DEP permit, the Winthrop Lodge of Elks on 191 Washington Avenue did submit a letter about the silt in its marina allegedly coming from Lewis Lake. The committee believes there are errors in the letter and they plan on responding with corrections.

DPW head Steve Calla said there is no dredging going on in Lewis Lake and the is a big misconception.

“Lewis Lake has filled in but nothing is going out,” said Committee member and Conservation Commission member Norm Hyatt.

The Town Manager and Calla plan to meet with the Elks Lodge and go over the project. McKenna added the sand is coming over from Snake Island and the Army Corp of Engineers is currently doing soundings in the channel.

“Every marina in town needs to be dredged,” said committee member Dave Girard.

Leventis said this does not hold up the project of Miller Field, because no permits are needed for Miller Field.

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