SWAMPSCOTT — The future of the Hadley Elementary School building is still unclear, with members of the community searching for the best uses for the aging structure.
In a meeting of the Hadley Reuse Advisory Committee Tuesday evening, Town Senior Planner Molly O’Connell explained that the building should one day fill some need for the community in Swampscott.
She said the committee should be creative in thinking about what that need might be, and figure out how to achieve that goal afterwards.
“It doesn’t have to be unattainable, but it should be aspirational,” O’Connell said of the plan for the site. “We’re not here to solve every problem, but we’re here to give the community a goal … and identify to the Select Board, here are some needs we have, and here’s how we could solve them using the Hadley site.”
The committee, which was established at a special town meeting in November, is planning to consider four different types of uses for the site: civic or nonprofit, commercial, arts and culture, or affordable housing. It has been instructed not to consider luxury or market-rate housing.
The Hadley is the oldest school building in Swampscott, and will need extensive renovations to meet building and safety standards. However, O’Connell said it also has a lot of assets that she wants to use to the town’s advantage for any potential new use.
“Hadley has a lot of needs, but it also has a lot of really cool features,” she said. “How can we capitalize on the assets Hadley has, like its location and the design? Those are the types of things that can help us think more creatively.”
Ideas for the site will be evaluated based on whether they can be combined with other uses, how they will be connected to and bring activity to the downtown area of town, how they will preserve and adapt the space, possible funding mechanisms, space considerations, and necessary design elements.
O’Connell said that process will make it easier to gain funding for the project.
“In my experience, when you’re going for grant funding, [it’s helpful] to be able to point to a narrative and a process like this,” she said. “We went through this, this is what we want and what the community needs, and this is how we can make this happen.”
The committee plans to circulate a community survey to gather input on potential uses for the site next month.
