Public Forum on Center Infrastructure Work and Middle School April 3

The old middle school site on Pauline Street and the Center Business Infrastructure project will be the topic of discussion at a forum April 3, at 7 p.m., during the regular meeting of the Town Council in the auditorium of Winthrop High School on Main Street.

The first discussion will take place regarding the future of the old middle school. A master plan has been completed for the site, and zoning issues need to be addressed.

“This is a very, very complicated project. It’s somewhat connected to what’s going on in the center,” said Joe Aiello at last week’s marathon council meeting. He has been working on a citizens advisory committee that proposed a new ice rink, community center, some residential units, and retail space.

There has been a sea change in the council since last November, with three new members being elected to the Town Council. In addition, the town received a $2.38 million MassWorks grant for the center’s infrastructure last summer, and it may have to ask for an extension on the grant or risk losing it because the price tag of the project has jumped from $3 million, to $6 million and up to $12 million. But Aiello cautioned putting a number out there before working out all the details. In the end taxpayers could be asked to vote on a debt-exclusion override.

“We have to look at the reality of what we want to do and what we can do,” said Councilor James Letterie.

“This has always been in my heart to have an infrastructure project,” said Town Manager Terry Delahanty in regards to the work in the town center. “Drainage, water and sewer lines remain the fundamentals of providing services to the center business district.”

He said the Center Business District is a $9.5 million project that has been scaled back. There would be no Hagman Road parking lot, no granite walls, only certain sidewalks will get ADA compliant ramps, no French Square or the entrance way to the center.

“Doing this makes it more tolerable to the taxpayer,” Delehanty said. “We can scale it back to a $9.5 million project.”

He also wants to place the responsibility on any developer who disrupts the sidewalks to replace them with ADA compliant sidewalks.

“We can require that through the Planning Board,” Delehanty said.

As the council meeting wound down, there was a motion to appropriate $4,931,500 for work in the town center. Councilor Heather Engman said she agreed with previous speakers that the town needed to slow down and find out why budget estimates were so off.

“We don’t want to spend $10 million to lose $2.38 million,” she said. “I’m totally opposed to doing this project in a half way manner. We have to be deliberate and careful with this money.”

“If we pull the project back to where we’re not getting a bang for our buck then it makes no sense,” said Councilor Mike Lucerto. If we put this out for a debt-exclusion override then it’s dead anyway. People will vote for a school or a fire engine but not for what they can’t see.”

Even though it’s a desperately needed project for the center, Lucerto added that people are not going to rush to the ballot box to support it.

Delehanty reminded the council that there have been four different reports he has authored for the center business district, a traffic pilot, rezoning, financing of the center business district and engineering schematics. All of them are available on the town website.

“Developers don’t want to come in to Winthrop because they feel that we’re not ready for development which we’re not. We have to get the infrastructure, at least the bare bones,” said Council President Ron Vecchia.