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Washington Street Complete Streets Project - The community has expressed a lot of interest in the Washington Street Project. This Tuesday, April 2, the Select Board will receive an update from the project leads. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the effort, current thinking, and plans going forward.
Pierce School Project - This coming Tuesday, April 2 at 5:30PM, the Select Board will hold a joint public hearing with the Park and Recreation Commission and the Conservation Commission regarding the placement of geothermal wells under the Pierce Playground.
Unanimous votes by the Park and Recreation Commission and the Conservation Commission, and a 2/3rds vote by the Select Board in support of the geothermal well placement contained in Warrant Article 1 are required to keep the Pierce School building project on schedule.
Following the joint public hearing and votes, the Building Commission will hold a special session at 8:00PM on Tuesday, April 2. The Commission will consider the geothermal well placement as they determine if the Pierce School project will start this summer.
The Pierce School project, with specific plans to use the Pierce Playground for geothermal wells, has to date been affirmed by the public, and elected and appointed bodies. These include votes in favor by the Park and Recreation Commission in August of 2022, the Select Board in September of 2022, the Brookline voters in May of 2023, and Town Meeting in May of 2023.
Most recently, on March 20, 2024, the Land Use Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee, after a public hearing and deliberation, voted in favor of placing the geothermal wells under the Pierce Playground via their support of Warrant Article 1.
Approval of Warrant Article 1 by the Park and Recreation Commission, Conservation Commission, and Select Board are required next steps in seeking State approval to place geothermal wells under the Pierce Playground. These approvals are appropriate, timely, and a necessary part of our legislative process.
Approval by these public bodies, including the Building Commission, will keep the Pierce School project on schedule, avoid escalated construction costs, reduce the annual costs to operate the new building, and reduce our dependency of fossil fuels. The approvals will also provide clarity and stability as to where Pierce families and staff will be attending school next year.
There is extensive documentation available on the Pierce Project and the geothermal well system. This documentation can be viewed in the Park and Recreation Commission Hearing folder and the Conservation Commission Hearing folder.
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