Needham presents Pollard rebuild plan with geothermal wells, warns of temporary field impacts
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Summary
Town presenters outlined a two-phase Pollard Middle School rebuild and proposed geothermal well field at Warner Field, describing drilling logistics, a test-well planned for late April, and commitments to post line-item cost estimates and community updates; neighbors raised noise, permitting and field-availability concerns.
The Park and Recreation Commission heard a detailed update April 13 on the Town of Needham's Pollard Middle School reconstruction and a plan to install a geothermal well field at Warner Field that will be used for contractor laydown and temporary teacher parking during construction.
Hank Haff, of the Town’s Building Design and Construction Department, and Brandon O'Malley of Bond Building Construction described a two-phase project in which Phase 1 (south portion near the tracks) is prioritized so construction can proceed while minimizing overlap with Phase 2 (the sixth-grade wing). "By bringing a construction manager on board, they help us through complicated logistics," Haff said, explaining the CM-at-risk role in sequencing and constructability reviews. The presenters described a multi-year schedule and said full construction could span roughly four years.
The team proposed installing a closed-loop geothermal well field at Warner Field to serve Phase 1 and future building systems. A presenter explained the technology as buried loops that use the earth's relatively constant subsurface temperature to heat and cool buildings, noting it can materially reduce building energy use intensity and help the town qualify for utility rebates. "It's the most energy efficient system that we could choose for the school," the presenter said. The design team said wellheads and manifolds will be buried and largely invisible at the surface.
On scale and timing, Bond's team estimated the site would require on the order of "about a 125-ish wells" (Brandon O'Malley) and said individual drilling averages roughly a day-and-a-half per well if only one rig is available; the contractor said the plan is to secure multiple rigs to shorten overall duration. The team said they plan a test well at the end of April that will take about two to three days for drilling and set-up, followed by thermal testing the week after. For the pilot, the presenters noted Pollard's system would be comparable to the town's PSAP installation, where 16 wells were drilled to about 500 feet and have run with minimal maintenance for 15 years.
Residents and commissioners focused on community impacts. Cindy, a remote participant, urged proactive neighbor notifications and asked when MBTA permitting would be resolved and how much of the project budget is reserved specifically for field restoration. "Three days or five days of drilling is going to be a problem if neighbors don't know ahead of time," she said, and warned that taking one of Needham's three 90-foot baseball diamonds offline would strain youth and high-school programs. Presenters acknowledged the concerns and committed to posting project slides, reports and a project webpage and to adding that link to future agendas so neighbors can track updates.
On permitting, the team said initial discussions with MBTA real-estate agents are underway and that the test-well location chosen is far enough from active tracks that MBTA involvement is not required for the pilot, though longer-term tunnel or permanent-use arrangements will require further MBTA coordination. Cost transparency was emphasized: presenters said line-item estimates for field restoration will be produced in May by both the CM and an independent cost estimator and then reconciled and shared with the commission.
Commissioners and staff asked about field restoration standards and accessibility. The presenters described proposed improvements (irrigation, ADA connections through the MBTA tunnel for teacher parking access, and a restored playing surface), and said temporary parking areas would be surfaced with a binder course (temporary asphalt) rather than permanent pavement, pending final decisions.
The meeting produced no formal votes on the Pollard project; commissioners asked for follow-up materials, including the May cost estimate, the project webpage link, and a clearer timeline for MBTA approvals and field reopening. The test well and the project’s communication plan are the next procedural steps mentioned by presenters.
