Braintree plans phased relocation of veteran services, temporary move set for mid-November

Mayor Joyce and town staff presented a phased plan to relocate the Town of Braintree’s veteran services from the aging Foster School to more suitable town-owned space.

At the Nov. 5 Town Council meeting, DPW director Matt Jacques outlined Phase 1: a temporary move of the veterans agent and office functions into unused upstairs office space at 74 Pond Street, targeted for the week of Nov. 17. Jacques said the space has been cleaned by facilities staff, is accessible, and will provide office and small-group gathering space while the town readies a permanent location. “This will give them a nice office space,” Jacques said, and staff will work with the veterans agent on any additional needs.

Phase 2 calls for a permanent relocation to a town-owned building at 2015 Washington Street, located on the sheriff’s campus. Jacques said the building’s interior is suitable but lacks ADA accessibility; planned spring construction during the 2026 construction season would add dedicated parking and an accessible walkway and a ramp so the site could open in summer 2026. Jacques said the paving work would be contracted out and that facilities staff could construct an exterior ramp.

George Andes, the town’s veteran services officer, told the council the office needs privacy for individual consultations, secure file storage and space for recurring social programs. “We have a coffee hour every Tuesday morning. We usually host anywhere from 12 to 20 veterans,” Andes said, adding that separate offices and secure file cabinets are critical for veterans who bring sensitive claims.

Mayor Joyce said the Foster School will be winterized and secured and that the town will revisit prior requests for proposals and hold community meetings before deciding the school’s long-term reuse. She framed the relocation as an effort to avoid further investments in a building the town deems structurally challenged while keeping services visible and professional.

Councilors asked whether 74 Pond Street could serve permanently; Joyce said the town has separate plans for that parcel (including a prior preliminary study for affordable senior housing) and expects 74 Pond Street to be a short- to mid-term solution. The town owns the sheriff’s campus and the lease administered through the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) for parts of the complex is up for renewal next year, Joyce said, and the town will coordinate future uses accordingly.

Next steps: staff will prepare 74 Pond Street for the veterans agent to move in during the week of Nov. 17, and engineering, highway and facilities will develop designs and a contractor schedule for accessibility improvements at 2015 Washington Street during the spring 2026 construction season. No formal council vote was taken on the relocation plan at the Nov. 5 meeting.