Designers balance open campus, site safety and construction logistics for Medford High rebuild

Medford — Site safety, circulation and construction logistics dominated the latter half of a hybrid advisory meeting on the reimagined Medford High School, as designers sought to reconcile an open, community‑friendly campus with operational security needs and steep site constraints.

Madeline GoodHarbor, the meeting’s security consultant, said the project will use crime‑prevention‑through‑environmental‑design (CPTED) principles—natural surveillance, access control, territorial reinforcement, maintenance and activity support—to guide site decisions. She described options such as scaled lighting, landscaping that defines but does not create hiding places, and exterior door stations that allow remote visitor screening.

"We'll be using an electronic access control and security management system," Madeline said, describing camera visibility, door control, intrusion detection and field-mounted emergency communications to help balance community access with staff and student safety.

Landscape architect Kate Tuuk summarized circulation data drawn from a Safe Routes to School survey: roughly 37% of students arrive by car, 22% walk or bike, and the team estimated that 62% of students live within a mile of the school (the designers noted the survey sample does not include the entire student body). Kate also reported roughly 476 existing on‑site parking spaces and said a traffic consultant is performing a capacity analysis.

Participants raised multiple access and equity issues: advocates urged more on‑site athletic fields so teams do not have to travel across the city, parents worried about off‑site practice logistics, and community members asked that the student‑designed Mustang Loop trail be treated carefully because of its sentimental value and wetlands constraints. Designers cautioned that trail accessibility upgrades would require DCR coordination and potentially significant site work in wetland areas.

On construction logistics, the team said phased work is inevitable and that contractor‑led phasing plans will include fenced work zones, clear temporary signage for buses, drop‑offs and pedestrian paths, and potentially satellite parking for construction crews to limit disruption. The project team emphasized maintaining accessibility for people with mobility devices throughout all construction phases.

Next steps

Designers will develop phased logistics with a construction manager once options are narrowed, continue traffic and capacity analysis and share more detailed plans at follow‑up advisory sessions.