One of the most critical issues facing Waltham is how the City should go about rehabilitating and repurposing the nearly 200 acres of property that was formerly the Fernald Developmental Center. While there have been many public meetings about Fernald, there has been very little communication to the people of Waltham from the City with concrete proposals of plans for the site. I commend Councilor George Darcy, who has proposed numerous resolutions, for being the exception in this regard. If given the opportunity to serve as a City Councilor, here is how I believe the City should handle Fernald
Survey and secure – The Fernald property has more than seventy-five buildings, most of which have been vacant for several years. After taking an initial tour of the Fernald campus in my capacity as the Chair of the Waltham Historical Commission, it became very clear that the City needs to both survey and secure the property. The first step should be to conduct a comprehensive inventory of the numerous buildings and structures on the site and give each one a preliminary evaluation as to whether or not it can be preserved and an estimate as to the cost. The Waltham Historical Commission and local experts should continue to be consulted about the historical significance of the buildings and how best to accurately preserve and honor their legacy. Buildings clearly beyond repair should be identified as such and designated for demolition. If safe and reasonably feasible, materials from demolished historical buildings, such as brick, should be recycled and reused in the rehabilitation of other areas. The remaining buildings should be rated based on their historical significance and structural integrity, prioritizing buildings for preservation that carry the most history and are in the least disrepair. At the same time, adequate security must be provided to secure the property and protect it from further deterioration, criminal activity, and misuse.
Preserve and protect existing assets – Once a comprehensive evaluation of the property has been conducted, simple steps should immediately be taken to protect those assets designated for preservation to ensure they are no longer subject to theft, fire, and other unlawful use. Additional basic measures, such as replacing stolen copper gutters with inexpensive aluminum or vinyl, should be taken quickly to ensure that buildings designated for preservation do not fall into easily preventable disrepair. You would not allow water to run down the side of your home and the City should not allow that to happen with buildings that are valuable public assets. The Fernald has been part of Waltham since 1887 and carries important history for the community and especially people with disabilities. Many of its historical assets are at serious risk for want of very basic maintenance and preservation efforts which can take place while the City continues to determine how best to repurpose them.
Adaptive reuse and temporary reuse – Adaptive reuse is a good compromise between the two expensive extremes of total demolition and total preservation. Unless a building is completely beyond repair, it is usually significantly more cost-effective to rehab it and use it for another purpose more suitable to needs of the community than to demolish it. This also allows for the character-defining features of the structure to be preserved. One of the biggest challenges with the Fernald property is that it has so much potential! Many of its buildings could readily be adapted to meet current community needs for affordable housing, fitness and recreation, public meeting space, and many other uses. Unlike many other historical properties, these buildings have the added advantage of having been constructed with disabled individuals in mind. Because much of the property was purchased with Community Preservation Act funds, a large portion of it must be used for affordable housing, open space, or historic preservation. The City must form a cohesive plan for how to meet these requirements. However, the City does not have to completely adapt the property to permanent new uses all at once. As various areas and structures are made safe and secure, the City can and should embrace temporary reuses, including passive recreation, which will increase foot traffic and promote a sense of community investment in the property. This will also allow for more public input into the final strategic plans for adaptive reuse of the site.
Restoring the environment – The restoration of wetlands and the rehabilitation of contaminated areas are essential to the effective reuse of the Fernald property. Restoring and protecting the wetlands currently located underneath the cottages is already underway and is expected to greatly improve the drainage issues and other flooding problems on the property and in the immediate vicinity. Waltham also purchased the property with the understanding that certain areas require environmental remediation. As both the Fernald Reuse Committee and Mayor have recommended, the City must invest in restoring the environmental integrity of areas impacted by improper oil and coal ash disposal, and the prior practice of widespread use of asbestos. The Environmental Protection Agency offers grants and technical assistance through its Brownfields Program for everything from assessment of the extent of contamination, to research and planning for revitalization, to actual cleanup and decontamination, but the City has to apply to take advantage of this federal assistance to offset its costs.
Collaboration – The other positive examples of adaptive reuse throughout the country all have one thing in common, they listened to the wide range of stakeholders impacted by each project. Fernald is both the largest historical asset, and the largest piece of undeveloped land in our City, and therefore virtually every resident has a stake in what happens next. New uses for the property must be the product of a collaboration between the City, families of former residents, the Waltham and Massachusetts Historical Commissions, neighbors, community non-profits, and the general public.