![]() Thank you for your patience and understanding as together we navigate the constantly evolving situation ahead. ![]() WLT will notify its membership when the next comment period is open. Until the DEIR is complete, MEPA is not accepting other comments at this time. We understand the timeline of these activities is tentative given the current situation. Much of the land in Waltham that the public believes is protected open space lacks these restrictions which are essential to its permanent preservation.įinally, WLT looks forward to reviewing and commenting on the DEIR when it becomes available, likely in May, and will encourage others to do the same. WLT will also pursue placing Conservation Restrictions on the parts of 554 Lexington Street and Jericho Hill that remain untouched by the high school design, as well as on Sanderson Heights and other at-risk parcels that must be permanently protected. WLT hopes the DEIR will also evaluate other options for the design that stay within the forty-six acre perimeter of the 554 Lexington Street parcel, including adding one floor to the high school which was offered by the architects in their MaUpdate included in the electronic version of the City Council docket. WLT’s understanding is that the next step in this process is for the City to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) to MEPA. However, when these types of difficult choices must be made in the future, we hope that City officials will attempt to work with WLT to try to arrive at solutions that meet both the urgent need for a new high school and critical conservation objectives. While no two pieces of land are alike, some have more conservation value than others, so it is regrettable that there was not more of an opportunity to discuss the details of how this would occur before the MaCity Council meeting. We applaud the sentiment of Councillor Randy Leblanc’s proposal to preserve six acres of alternate open space if Jericho Hill is used for the high school. We hope that in the future, City officials will feel comfortable discussing such options with WLT in advance to work towards collaborative solutions. ![]() ![]() WLT will continue to advocate for the preservation of Waltham’s open space, which is also for the benefit of the kids in our community, when these unexpected issues arise. The requested transfer of this land also came quickly and as a surprise. It has been very challenging to find concrete information about the various deadlines associated with the new high school, whether they are from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), or others. WLT continues to have significant questions about the recent transfer of Jericho Hill. WLT is also mindful that it is essential to make sure that Waltham’s open space is interconnected, rather than segmented which diminishes its conservation value. As we have stated from the beginning, WLT supports a state-of-the-art educational facility for Waltham’s young people and did not object to the use of the property at 554 Lexington Street for this purpose, provided this would ensure the protection of the surrounding open space. ![]()
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