Educational rezoning approved by unanimous vote
Published on May 13th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - After a long and heated debate, the town voted to approve amended educational zoning which will allow the School Building Committee to tender design documents to the state prior to the June 1 deadline and get on its reimbursement list.
After spending over an hour debating the intention of article 13 of the Special Town Meeting Warrant, Beacon Street resident Alexander Janko presented an amendment to the article which tied the School Department's hands in terms of renting out space in those schools to private educational services.
Prior to this amendment, it appeared as if the vote, which required a two thirds majority for acceptance, would fail due to a hard-nosed core of voters, many of which were Beacon Street residents.
"You're going to open a Pandora's Box," Janko said of the original article. "We have this existing festering cancer on Beacon Street that's being called an educational use.
"I'm not against the zoning; I'm against the uncontrollability of it."
He was supported by fellow Beacon Street resident Glenys Bruno.
"When something isn't broken, why do we always feel we have to fix it?" she asked. "Your own Planning Board could not even give a favorable recommendation. Doesn't that tell you something?"
Planning Board member Gus Niewenhous explained that the Board had believed the bylaws could have been more in-depth in wording.
"The board felt strongly that there were other alternatives to rezoning," he said. "Based on subsequent information... I would go along with article 13 to protect the almost $40 million plans.
"I would strongly urge that you vote down the IP and support educational zoning."
Beacon Street residents showed up in numbers, however, in order to warn other neighborhoods that, what has occurred in theirs could happen anywhere.
The Visiting Nurses' Association presently occupies the East School on Beacon Street and has been cited as a nuisance in terms of parking and traffic in recent years due to the large influx of visitors and employees.
Article 13 section 4.13.2.2 allowed the following usage: "Privately owned or operated educational facilities."
Bruno said that this wording could hurt the six sites (South School, Colonial Park School, High School, Middle School, Robin Hood School, Central School) to which the zoning applied.
"The term educational zone is too far broad a term," Bruno said. "Educational zoning is absolutely not needed for this to go through.
"Be careful what to approve tonight. You may not like what you get."
School Building Committee Vice Chairman Ron Fiore said that, although the zoning was not necessary, it was the best way to allow plans to be submitted to the state before the June 1 deadline.
The other two options were A. try to get the nine variances needed at the four building sites from the Zoning Board of Appeals or B. go to the Building Inspector and ask for his "stamp of reasonability for the designs.
Neither option, he explained, was a guarantee and, in fact, the likelihood was that, if permission was granted, an appeal would overturn those decisions.
"This provides for a comprehensive treatment for now and in the future," Fiore said.
After the debate, a vote was taken and indefinite postponement was defeated by a large majority. The two thirds vote, however, was still in question.
At this time, Janko approached the podium and asked for his amendment to be admitted.
The amendment called for the deletion of section 4.13.2.2 and the addition of wording to section 4.13.2.1.
This last section had stated "Educational facilities owned or operated by the Town of Stoneham as utilized by the Stoneham School Committee for educational purposes."
Janko asked that "or operated by another governmental entity for educational purposes" be added.
Dan Hogan, Chairman of the School Building Committee, informed the gathering that the Committee would accept and support the article as amended.
Articles 13 and 14, which set the zoning boundaries, were accepted unanimously by the voters.
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