Like a lot of old buildings, the former Witt School in Hyde Park is filled with hazardous building materials like asbestos, lead paint, and PCBs. Unlike many old buildings, the Witt School has a strange history, making its redevelopment and reuse complicated.
It’s a long story, but to keep it brief, the former school exists in the middle of Hyde Park; Stafford native Isaac Perkins Hyde bequeathed the money to buy the land. Today, the park is managed by the Hyde Park Commission. Because the Witt School stands in the middle of the park, it cannot just be sold to a developer (as happened with the Borough School). So the town had to decide whether to knock it down or remediate the problems and reuse the building. Given its proximity to downtown and potential to work as an extension of the area, the town pursued redevelopment.
On Wednesday, September 26, 2023, there was a public hearing to update the town on the plans for the building — and the larger brownfields reuse project. Working with Sarah DeStefano of Weston & Sampson, Amber Wakley-Whaley, Director of Grants and Community Development, walked through the history of Stafford’s brownfields and the progress that’s been made.
For sites like the old dry cleaner’s building downtown, the town was able to sell the building once it had established exactly what kind of remediation had been done. Out at the Hydeville Mill, the exceedingly poor condition of the building has spurred the state to recommend it to the EPA for demolition. But as we’ve already noted, the Witt School is in a different boat. It cannot be sold, and even though the Hyde Park Commission might like to see it demolished, funding abatement and redevelopment may be more cost-effective.
Costs & funding
The cost to totally abate and demolish the Witt School is estimated to be between $1,535,900 and $1,960,000. On the other hand, the cost to abate and renovate the building is roughly $852,000 to $925,000. Furthermore, the town has received a grant of $650,000 for abatement, requiring the town to contribute $130,000. DeStefano said, “It is unheard of to get a clean-up grant before you close out the assessment grant.” But that is exactly what Wakley-Whaley has done.
However, that $130,000 can include in-kind contributions — such as the time Wakley-Whaley spends working on the project, the cost of printouts for community meetings, or the time workers from the Department of Public Works might spend helping with the project. In other words, the town does not necessarily have to come up with the cash to match the grant funds. Furthermore, DeStefano stressed that the town is likely eligible for other gap funding and that money for infrastructure is fairly easy to come by at the moment.
Reuse plans for Witt
When the project was submitted for grant funding, it required a reuse plan. Essentially, the town has presented a plan for multi-purpose reuse. A combination of public recreation space, a permanent farm market, senior housing, and a commercial kitchen (likely for the use of local agriculture) are all potentially part of the final product. These plans can still shift, especially as the town puts out a Request For Interest from developers who could partner with the town on the project.
Ann Perrone, Executive Director of Stafford’s Housing Authority, was at the meeting and expressed interest in using the upstairs of the building for senior housing. She also pointed out that the Housing Authority is able to apply for grants as well and could possibly help fund some of the work.
As of now, the project has entered into the "Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA)" stage of the project. Stafford residents can submit comments and feedback until October 16, 2023, by emailing or calling Amber Wakley-Whaley. If you email, use the subject line “Cleanup Draft ABCA Comment.” See the full draft here.
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