Building Committee Lays Out Options, Responds to Public Concerns at Forum

The Burlington High School Building Committee presented to the public last night the process that has been undergone to explore options for rebuilding, renovating, or adding on to Burlington's high school building. They outlined the five options currently under consideration for the project, addressed frequently voiced concerns and questions, and took questions from the public.

Summary of Options

The design firm contracted to complete the feasibility study for this project, Tappé Architects, looked into three general categories of work: Code upgrades only, Renovation/Addition, and construction of a new building. Early in the process, options that would have students taking classes in modular buildings were eliminated, which accounted for all the code upgrade options. They also looked at building a new school on a nearby property at 10 Corporate Drive, an option that was also vetoed because the building would not have been large enough to accommodate the entirety of the high school programming; there was also a lack of sufficient parking or connectivity to the current campus, which would sit across a state highway from the new building.

The five options remaining on the table include constructing a new building on the student parking lot, constructing a new building on Varsity Field, and performing an addition-renovation by adding a new classroom wing. All options would preserve part of the current building, namely the auditorium and the non-high school spaces like BCAT, the Science Center, etc., and every option would require eliminating the center part of the building, which suffers from a lack of access within the building but also with the outside.

While the initial proposal for building a school on Varsity Field suggested moving the field up to the demolished space in the center of the building, another idea was presented at the forum that would move the field back to where the practice field is now, closer to the wetlands but in an area that can accommodate stands and facilities. In that scenario, the noise of a football game, for example, wouldn't be as impactful on the surrounding neighborhoods, but the track wouldn't fit and would still need to be constructed in the central building area.

Notably, the current high school site is subject to many site constraints, including wetland buffers, grade changes, and more. Tappé representative, Chris Blessen, said these constraints meant the firm needed to get creative with their design options.

Sound and Light Concerns

Residents of abutting properties have expressed concern about the impact of having a field so close to their homes, and some sound and light studies were performed to see what the impact would be on nearby properties. The studies suggested that the impact of the lights would not be seen outside the high school property and that the sound would to the level of ambient noise within about 3o0 feet of the source of the sound. Blessen said they would typically also put in additional sound mitigation measures to further buffer neighbors from offensive noise.

Water Concerns

The water table is of concern for this project, as with any new construction project there is the potential for ground water to be displaced; this water has no choice but to find another place to be, which is often in the basement of a nearby home. Blessen assured viewers that the team would take necessary steps to avoid water issues for neighbors. "All projects are required to reduce both rates and volumes of runoff on site for all the major storm events," he said.

Financial Concerns

This project will cost in the neighborhood of $300,000,000 and will impact the average taxpayer to the tune of $1000 or so; that's in addition to the roughly $350 from Fox Hill when they're all fully funded. Neighbors are concerned about this on top of existing financial concerns and regular tax increases. Additionally, many feel that replacing Varsity Field, which is relatively new and not in need of replacement, would be wasteful.

The project is expected to take between three and four years to complete and could begin in 2027; the School Committee has said that they plan to bring the question of funding the project before Town Meeting in September 2025. A town-wide debt exclusion vote will likely be necessary.

Check out the full video including Q&A at the BCAT Government Coverage Facebook page, and dig more into the proposed plans at the project website. The High School Building Committee will meet next this evening, February 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Burlington High School. You can also join virtually.