One of the biggest issues facing the City of Lynn is the condition of our school buildings, which is untenable for students and staff. Classrooms are overcrowded, and our buildings do not reflect a 21st-century learning environment.
The biggest opportunity we have at the moment to address this issue is building a new Pickering Middle School. Given the cost of school construction, it is highly unlikely for a city such as Lynn to be able to build schools without the support of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).
Pickering has been accepted into the MSBA pipeline for funding assistance for a new school. It is critical that we bring this project to fruition. Middle school classrooms are overcrowded, and the condition of the Pickering school is dire. Our plans call for a larger version of Pickering to be built, which will allow for 1,100 students, and will help alleviate overcrowding at Breed and Marshall middle schools.
The City created the Pickering School Building Committee (SBC) with representatives from the City Council and School Committee, City departments, Lynn Public Schools, and the community.
The SBC selected a project manager (Leftfield) and architect (Raymond Design Associates) to advise us earlier this year. Our project team helped the SBC scour the area for potential sites for the new school.
Parkland Avenue (the site previously proposed for Pickering that was voted down in a citywide referendum in 2016) was ruled out due to the lack of community support, its location outside the Pickering enrollment district, and challenges supporting a school the size of the one we are proposing.
Last time around, there was a plan for Pickering to serve 600 students and a school in West Lynn to serve 1,100 students. This time, the City can only afford to build one school and is proposing a Pickering that would serve 1,100 students.
Other sites that were evaluated and ruled out were the former Union Hospital site, Gowdy Park, and the land that the current Pickering stands on.
The Union Hospital site is already under construction for multiple projects important to the City, and the costs that would be associated with acquiring that land are significant.
Gowdy Park is too far removed from most of the student population. The current Pickering site is not feasible because the site is too small to support the larger school that we are proposing and we would also need to find swing space for Pickering students during construction.
The SBC shortlisted three sites: two privately owned parcels, off of Broadway and Rockdale Avenue, and Magnolia Park, which sits behind Pickering.
The two privately-owned sites do not have adequate access in those neighborhoods, would require costly land takings and pose significant development challenges due to the bedrock they sit upon.
That leaves Magnolia Park as the best site that we have available. It is the most centrally located site for a new school and will not require the use of eminent domain. There are certainly issues with the site that we will have to address, but they are well understood.
First, we need to address the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) pipeline that runs through the site.
The project team believes we can build around it by either making the building footprint smaller (and the building therefore a bit higher) or separating the building into two wings and connecting them with a bridge over the water line. The project team has been in contact with the MWRA about these plans. We are confident that our engineers and architects will be able to address any issues associated with the MWRA pipeline.
Second, Magnolia Park floods occasionally. Our project team is confident that we can prevent issues with flooding by elevating the building slightly above the existing field level.
Third, we will need to address the traffic impacts on the neighborhood. While the area is already accustomed to school traffic, more students will be attending the new Pickering.
We are also cognizant of existing traffic on Broadway and in Wyoma Square. As part of this process, there will be an in-depth traffic study conducted that may recommend infrastructure improvements to be made in conjunction with the school building process.
Finally, losing land dedicated to parks, recreation and open space is not ideal and requires the City to provide replacement land. We are confident that we can work through this with our colleagues in state government.
The City is already making an unprecedented investment in our parks system through our federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and is a few years away from adding a 33-acre signature park on the waterfront with the Harbor Park.
We are clearly prioritizing the importance of recreation and open space for our residents and will evaluate all suitable options for replacement land and amenities. We must also be able to address other important needs such as education in a city without many options for available land.
We strongly support the vote that we took with our colleagues on the School Building Committee to select Magnolia Park as the site for the new Pickering Middle School and look forward to working with our other partners in the City to build this much-needed school.
Mayor Jared C. Nicholson
School Committee Member Brian Castellanos
City Councilor Diana Chakoutis
School Committee Member Lorraine Gately
City Councilor Wayne Lozzi
City Councilor Rick Starbard
