Park and Recreation Commission asks to remove DeFazio site from Pollard school consideration

Michael O'Brien, chair of the Needham School Committee, updated the Meaden Park and Recreation Commission on the Pollard Middle School design process and timeline and described seven options the design team has presented to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). He said the design team is narrowing options and preparing to submit one preferred plan to the MSBA later this year. "We have moved forward with the design team," O'Brien told the commission, adding the team is evaluating traffic, wetlands and other site constraints.

Commissioners focused discussion on the DeFazio fields as one option under consideration. Commissioners raised multiple concerns about traffic congestion during peak sports times, disruption to town athletic programs, and emergency access at the DeFazio location. Commissioners noted that DeFazio fields host numerous youth and high-school activities and that traffic can back up on Dedham Avenue during busy evenings, creating safety and access issues.

After discussion, the commission moved and seconded a formal request that the DeFazio site option be removed from consideration for construction of a new Pollard Middle School. The motion passed unanimously in a roll-call vote of commissioners present: Michelle Geddes (Aye), Jane Rosenbaum (Aye), Dina Hannigan (Aye), Cindy Chaston (Aye) and Chris Gerstel (Aye). The commission recorded that a formal written statement or letter will follow the vote to document the commission's position.

O'Brien told commissioners the school committee is continuing community outreach, with an inter-board summit planned for Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m., a public hearing Nov. 17 and a target to submit a final project to the MSBA by Dec. 15. He also said the school committee has approved an education plan — a roughly 100-page document — that frames the proposal’s educational goals and that the committee prefers a 6–8 configuration depending on final site choices. O'Brien cautioned that some options could require zoning review and later town-meeting action and possibly an override vote in 2026.

Commissioners asked the school committee and design team to provide documentation in advance of the Sept. 25 summit on which fields and parking would be affected at each site option, and to provide traffic-study data collected during peak use times. Commissioners also asked staff to document the current schedule of field permits and typical peak days and times so designers can incorporate realistic activity loads into their studies.

The commission’s request to remove DeFazio from consideration is a formal record of the commission’s position; the school committee and design team said they will continue to study and refine options for submission to the MSBA.