Town of Natick - Board of Selectmen Minutes 6/19/03

Mr. Sarkisian referred to three maps and explained the concept plan. He noted that the Eliot School was a 14,000 square foot building built in 1938. There were seven years remaining on the lease between the Town and the Eliot Montessori School for the building. Using the maps he located the Charles River, and the Auburn Street property used by the Montessori School for administration. Across the street was the Peletiah tavern and north of that were 13 acres of the Sherman Nature Preserve. The nature preserve had walking trails, but currently the only access was Front Street and maybe an end of Cedar Street.

Mr. Sarkisian continued that the Town has discussed with the Montessori School the possibility of them (Montessori School) acquiring the Eliot School for the land the Montessori School owned across the street. If that were to happen the Town would continue to hold and have access to the Charles River by a strip that was approximately 50 feet wide. The Montessori School would own the Eliot School with a restriction on the 18,000 square foot common. Preservation of the common was important from an historic preservation point. The Montessori School would be willing to give four acres across the street to the Town and remain the owner of the tavern built in 1748 and the original site of John Eliot and the praying Indians. Anything done with that building (tavern) would have to go through the Historic District Commission and the ZBA.

Mr. Sarkisian explained that a cul-de-sac was shown on the drawing to show the value of the property (owned by the Montessori School). The appraisal of the school came in at $1.2 million. The lots were $300,000 and with four lots that was $1.2 million. If the Town were to acquire that land, there would be public access from Broads Avenue.

out back of Natick Common up Coolidge Hill to the hospital trail to the Fafard subdivision – all led to South Natick. He thanked the Hunnewell family for turning over the aqueduct and noted that the Planning Board was working on another piece with the Hunnewell’s to give a connection to the Castle land. Mr. Sarkisian referred to the map to show the subject parcel needed to complete the connection. He noted that at the last meeting there was discussion of the Jenkins property and whether there would be soccer fields.

Mr. Sarkisian then highlighted the plan under discussion. The Town would sell the Eliot School, but there would be a restriction on the Common and a restriction on the 6 Auburn Street land. Plus public access to the Charles River would be retained. The Town would acquire 4.5 acres across the street from the School. Doug Jenkins would donate the back piece of land in exchange for a housing lot with public access and that would allow the ability to place a playing field back there although it wouldn’t be a regulation field. The other issue was parking, and there could be 16 parking spaces and parking on Eliot Street. The house Doug Jenkins would

Associate Member of the Planning Board Andrew Meyer reported that the Planning Board had had a fairly lengthy discussion of this last night. Although they didn’t formally vote, there was a clear consensus. He noted that the Planning Board had two contradictory jobs to do. The first was to ensure that anything that came before them would provide the maximum benefit to the maximum number of people for as long as possible. A great deal of time and energy went into examining a project, and they looked at this (Eliot School proposal) as a wonderful opportunity to put 6-l/2 acres of open space under permanent control in the heart of the Historic District. The Town would still have riverfront access and would preserve the courtyard, which adds to the wonder of South Natick. The proposal would also allow the building to stand. It was built by the same architect as Williamsburg. In addition the Town would gain four acres surrounding the tavern including a skating pond and it was linked to the Natick walking trail. The Planning Board has worked for years to build a connection from the center to South Natick.

Mr. Meyer continued that it was also the Planning Board’s responsibility to look at a project with respect to the future. While they didn’t have any details as yet, there were a few things known. The economy was in tough shape and there was tremendous pressure to cut costs. The economy was cyclical and unwise to base planning on the economy. This was a unique opportunity and a way to provide open space. It had the full support of the Planning Board.

Vice-Chair of the Open Space Advisory Committee, Irene DelBono, reported that the Open Space Committee supported this concept as it would protect the largest amount of land and form the largest contiguous green space connecting the downtown. Only in this large habitat would some species survive. There was also historic interest and this would protect land including the tavern next to the house of John Eliot’s father. The contiguous protected lands were the result of the community spirited Hunnewell and Palmer families and the Sherman Nature Preserve that was donated by the Castle family. Coolidge was another name synonymous with giving and open space and with this the Town had the opportunity to enhance what has so generously been given to the Town. It was in an aquifer re-charge area.

Ms. Del Bono noted that there would always be roads that need repair and things were always breaking down that needed to be fixed, but in 100 years, 50 years, or even 10 years would our children look back and say they were glad the Town chose to fix that furnace, street or whatever, or look back and say they were glad the Town preserved this wonderful open space and archeological resources that have existed for 350 years. She hoped the Board continued to support this.

Doug Jenkins told the Board that he was a second-generation antiques dealer. He had purchased the David Morse house 11 years ago. It was a commercially zoned property. Before him the house was owned by the Hayes family and they put the David Morse house into the Historic Register. Since he had lived there the Townspeople have come to his door and told him the story of the house. He offered to answer any questions and stated that he was happy to work with the Town.

Larry Bolick stated that he had lived on Farmdale Road for 10 years and this year was the President of the Eliot Montessori Board of Trustees. At the previous meeting, he suspected that a lot of people didn’t know much about the school and he would like to share the School’s history and demographics. The School was founded in Natick in 1971. For obvious reasons it had the name Eliot, and Montessori was an educational method well known in Europe and the United States. The population of the School for the last year was 33 families from Natick, 12 from Needham, 13 from Wellesley, 4 from

Laura Kale, a resident of Broads Avenue, read a letter in support of the land for building swap. She told the Board that she moved to Natick three years ago and was attracted to this area because of the combination of historic and open space. They (Ms. Kale and her husband) valued the open space at the end of the dead end street, as it would offer space for their children to enjoy nature. The land reminded her of the open space she grew up in Springfield. These woods would have a walking trail that would be an asset not just for South Natick.

land open, allow the trail system to keep developing, provide better access to the Sherman Nature Preserve, and keep the building from being developed. To him this was a net financial gain for the Town. For every dollar raised in taxes from residents, the Town paid $1.02-1.46 for services including public education and DPW. In contrast commercial and industrial and open space properties provided a net gain. This year at the Montessori School there were 36 Natick children. Last year there were 34 Natick children. A couple of years ago the then Deputy Town Administrator Paul Cohen said the cost per student was between $8,000-13,000. At $8,000 the savings this private school saved the Town was $288,000 for this year and $272,000 for last year. The Montessori School has been here since 1981. He also noted that if the Town-owned space remained passive recreation, the maintenance costs were minimal and the savings continue in perpetuity.

Mr. King noted that the brick building (Eliot School) had encumbrances. It was in the Historic District Commission and any development in the front yard was prohibited. A development of a commercial property couldn’t happen because of the River Protection Act. This was RSG and that limited the number of units of housing it could be converted to. A zoning change would be needed to develop the building into commercial space. The Montessori School had seven years left on its lease and a new owner was obligated to that lease and fixing any problems the building had would be on the new owner. If the accepted bid was a cash only and no land, Mr. King believed that the brick building would be developed into housing and the land with the tavern would be sold and three units developed cost the Town services over and above the property tax.

Mr. King continued that if a developer got the bid it could be converted into six units and with one child living there, it would cost the Town in services. If the bid was for land and cash, the land used as part of the bid probably wouldn’t be connected to any continuous trails. The brick building would be converted and the land across the street would be converted into possibly housing or the Montessori School could build a school there. The proposal being considered was beneficial to everyone in Natick as the cost of services affected everyone in Natick.

Wally Soper inquired as to the intended access to the trails, the intended access from the aqueduct, and the vision for the fields – soccer field or open space or debate down the line. Mr. Sarkisian referred to the map and explained that access for the new land could have a trail system the property or an easement. People on Broads Avenue could cross and get into the Nature Preserve legally. The Jenkins property would all be public access. As to access from the aqueduct, Mr. Sarkisian advised that the Community Development Department was currently working with the Hunnewell family. The Town had access along the aqueduct, but needed to cross a thin line or possibly a crossing along Leach Lane or come across another property. There were discussions with the Hunnewell family, and he was waiting for them to decide. Mr. Sarkisian added that the Sherman Nature Preserve had wetlands and vernal pools and the possibility of a boardwalk

South Natick had too much open space already, but open space needed to be protected when and where it was available. There were two South Natick’s. There were the large homes, but there was another South Natick where it was densely populated. Their homes were on l/4 acres. There were 25 non-residential entities between here and the Wellesley line. There were less and less residential properties along Eliot Street, and her neighborhood experienced traffic jams that rivaled any in Natick.

If the Montessori School was built across the street and the Eliot School was developed, it would make it intolerable. This South Natick didn’t have a lot of open space. Elm Bank was Wellesley and Dover. She has heard some say that this was fiscally irresponsible, but she would ask where they were when the lease was signed. There was another seven years on the lease and this proposal would remove that lease and preserve a treasure. It was the answer to a serious crisis in the neighborhood, and she hoped people would look and see that the Town needed to protect the neighborhoods while it could. She asked that the Board join her in supporting the land swap.

Superintendent of Recreation & Parks Richard Cugini stated that he was interested in hearing what everybody had to say, and he liked a lot of things about the plan. The issue about active vs passive was something to look at. The Recreation & Parks Commission would be taking a position on this in July. This was a fine location and the proposal for a school fit in well for the neighborhood. To him the fact that this would still be a school on this property made a lot of sense, but there was another side of this that as a resident had to be thought about. Memorial School had 500 children and they were in a situation that within five years they may need an addition to the building. The last addition was $8 million so now it would probably be $10 million. One of the options the Natick Schools was still looking at was moving a grade to a school like this (Eliot School). He thought it was something that needed to be looked at and something that financially should be considered.

Doug Taylor stated that he had lived in East Natick for four years and his son was a student at the Montessori School. He listened to people talk about their experiences and maintaining heritage and growing up in the area. It reminded him of his childhood in Wayland. When he moved back to the area all he saw were spec houses in the fields that he had played in and the woods where he played. He saw houses being torn down and mansions being built. This proposal was an opportunity for his child and other children to

Another East Natick resident Peter Golden told the Board that he didn’t want to take a position in opposition to what clearly would appear to any thoughtful person to be an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen and preserve green space. He was looking at this process from outside the box – not from the perspective of the neighborhood and its been a satisfying experience being here tonight as he heard the neighborhood coming together in support of the program. However, we lived in a society where there was an economic implication to everything, and he saw this as trading a substantial asset for a substantial amenity. This was a building with significant historic and architectural value. Across the street were four acres held by the Montessori School and in the end you were talking about 4 acres for 2-l/2 with a significant improvement of a historic structure. From the perspective of the Town as a whole, was the Town receiving full economic value in the deal. Mr. Golden clarified that he wasn’t throwing

that out to bust the deal, but he would ask the question again as a Town Meeting member and the deal would have to be ratified by Town Meeting. He didn’t want people to view him as a spoiler, but as someone to strengthen the argument (in favor). He had a feeling that he hadn’t heard the sweetener that said given all the arrangements the Town was making, the deal wasn’t only right for the Town but also economically sensible. The deal should be truly beneficial for the Town not only for its amenity but for its economic sense.

Realtor Donald Hughes noted that he was born in South Natick and attended school here. As to the easement of the back piece (of the property across the street), if that four-lot subdivision was approved, Mr. Hughes questioned why the easement wasn’t asked for at that time. These four acres were what he considered to be marginal land that was commercially zoned until recently. The Eliot School was a beautiful building and the Assessors’ records show that there was more than three acres of land on the river. This was waterfront property and you want to swap it for four acres of marginal land across the street. He took exception to the value of $1.3 million for the School. He thought it was substantially more.

If nothing had been planned, Candy Hulton questioned how people could evaluate if this was a good deal or not. She noted that she was pro open space, but it wasn’t known what was being talked about – four house lots or a field. The only thing that was known that it was one side of the street vs the other and the acreage. Where could people get more information? To her

Mr. Ciccariello explained that the four lots had been developed by Community Development. He believed that currently the owner could only get three lots and the fourth could be created if the owner acquired additional abutting property. There was the potential for four house lots, but with the layout of the land now, there were only three legal lots. As to not following the same hearing, Mr. Ciccariello noted that the Board was taking comments from as many individuals as possible. The Board would continue to deliberate until it felt comfortable enough to consider putting out an RFP. The idea was to get as much input as possible.

A member of the audience told the Board that he agreed with Ms. Smith’s comments about the neighborhood. Often this corner of South Natick was forgotten. He had lived there since 1998 and lived in East Natick from 1995-1998. He had gotten to know most of his neighbors and these were the people who abut this lot. The neighborhood got together and went out in the woods and pulled out a lot of garbage and cleaned up a lot of brush. A statement had previously been made about who would take care of the open space, and he was confident that the neighborhood valued open space. He would commit to giving hours to help, and he was confident that many in the neighborhood would make the same statement. In response to the statement about knocking down this (Eliot School) building, he noted that the building would still be leased for seven more years, and he doubted that someone would come in and bid a lot to take it over. The Town would lose the property across the street and a dollar figure couldn’t be put on that. There would be less safety for his children and ten more minutes to get out. This was an opportunity to put open space in a place where people cared about it.