Needham officials weigh Pollard school options as designs threaten athletic fields and parking

Needham officials and designers presented three options for addressing Pollard Middle School on Aug. 11, outlining trade-offs between a phased renovation at the current Pollard site, new construction on the lower Pollard parcel, and a new school at the DeFazio site, and sparking sustained concern from Park and Recreation commissioners about the project’s impact on athletic fields, parking and neighborhood traffic.

The study team said the project is at the MSBA’s PDP/PSR phase and that town leaders expect to select a preferred option by Dec. 15 to move into schematic design; the school district would then need a November town vote in the next calendar year before detailed design and construction. “By Dec. 15, the goal is to have that project figured out and move it forward to schematic design,” said Tina Stanislavski, architect with HMFH Architects.

Why it matters: the options differ sharply in how long construction would last and how many existing fields and parking spaces would be disrupted. A phased renovation-addition at Pollard would be lengthier and could require contractor lay-down areas on or near existing fields; a new-build on the lower Pollard parcel would be built more quickly but would occupy lower-site open space close to railroad tracks; and a new-build at DeFazio would move construction off the Pollard footprint but raise other issues including access, tenants and additional parking needs. Park and…