Town Common dream becoming a reality
Published on December 29th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - The Town Common Commit-tee is finally getting to the fun stuff.
A town common in Stoneham Square is, some say, long overdue and with the project's first phase (construction of a parking lot) nearly complete, along with the appropriate buildings razed and the common area cleared, the dream is closing in on reality.
At its Dec. 9 meeting, the committee was brought up-to-date on project status with regard to clearing work, costs and design status.
According to Project Manager Joe Slavet, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting has delegated much of the site clearing work to the town's DPW. This action, Slavet said, will relieve the budget of much of the site preparation expense.
"He'll have them do as much as he can to offset budget costs." Slavet continued that currently, forecasted numbers project a $50,000 overage in common costs, but said that DPW Director Robert Grover would be instrumental in bridging that gap by utilizing town employees during the DPW's slow season. Much of the common perimeter work is standard for the DPW, according to Slavet.
The committee agreed to solicit legal advice from Town Counsel William Solomon regarding other options for cost savings, including use of volunteer labor and fundraising.
Architect Gene Bollinger, from Levy, Eldrich and Wagner (LEW), advised the committee that prior to clearing the site, an arborist evaluated vegetation on the lot and determined that only one tree was worth saving. All others have been removed, Bollinger reported, to the concern of some townspeople.
The design Bollinger presented was similar to the concept that has been discussed to date, with the addition of a connector between the common and the Congregational Church, designated as such by special pavers that aid in crossing Church Street.
An accompanying addition of a bump-out at this crossing is shown on the drawing to take away three parking spaces on Church Street. Bollinger pointed out, however, that with the addition of one more parallel space on Central Street at the back of the church, the net loss would be two spaces on Church Street.
The design also included parallel parking spaces on Central Street in front of Town Hall, as requested at the public hearing earlier this fall.
"We're really starting to identify this as pedestrian domain," Bollinger said, pointing out the various specially paved crossings surrounding the common.
Lighting the town common is estimated at $37,000. This figure includes period lighting that would compliment existing lighting in Stoneham Square and all the accompanying infrastructure costs.
Bollinger also suggested that some items likely to adorn the common interior, such as benches, trees and light posts, may prove to be popular donation items from local businesses or families as in other communities.
Committee member and architect Stephen Born presented an alternative town common rendering for discussion, one that highlighted a more functional common than the existing one with respect to travel to surrounding points of interest.
While Born's illustration was ultimately rejected, it did generate valid discussion regarding the role of a town common for Stoneham.
Born's drawing, the committee said, assumes the space is more of a walk-through accessway between Town Hall and Stoneham Square, whereas the design presented by Bollinger conceptualizes the area as an assembly space.
Committee member Don Borchelt concluded that the existing design's meandering paths illustrate a more "pastoral, relaxed destination space," one that encourages people to spend more time within it rather than to merely cut through it.
However, he called Born's design "useful to look at before taking the plunge."
"We want (people) to congregate," Slavet said in favor of the design presented by Bollinger. "There's not one place of assembly in Stone-ham...A layout like this will really change behavior."
No gazebo has been included in Bollinger's drawings but there is a circular area for concerts and other such entertainment.
LEW anticipates completion of working drawings by mid March.
Last week, the town received its final installment of state money for development of the common. In total, $3.2 million has been appropriated by the state for Stoneham's Town Common and Parking Project. The town assumes the remaining $1.4 million cost.
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