Somerville planning board reviews referendum-funded gym and Vanderve field upgrades

Designers for the Somerville Board of Education presented on Jan. 28 a pair of referendum-funded projects — a new, roughly 25,000-square-foot gymnasium at Somerville High School and upgraded synthetic turf and multisport fields at the Vanderve site — and answered lengthy questions from the Planning Board about site layout, traffic flow, stormwater management and lighting.

Dan Scaton of FBD Architects told the board the gym sits on a vacant lawn along Davenport Street, would be one story with a double-height gym volume, and is about 31 feet from finished slab to roof. “The two projects tonight are the Vandervir turf synthetic turf fields and then there’s a new gymnasium building on the current lot at Somerville High School,” Scaton said when introducing the team and the designs. He and civil engineer Beth Kenderdine walked the board through a site plan that would reconstruct the existing parking and driveway, add two ADA-compliant stalls, provide a bus drop-off and create a rear main entrance with stairs and a ramp.

Architects said the design seeks materials and fenestration that fit the existing high school, and that rooftop mechanical equipment will be set back and screened with acoustical treatments to reduce visible and audible impacts. Kenderdine described low-impact stormwater measures on site: a small bioretention basin near the parking area plus underground detention chambers under the parking and field areas to store runoff and discharge to a downstream wetland area. The team said those systems are sized to avoid exacerbating downstream drainage conditions.

Board members focused on circulation and safety. The plans call for a 24-foot drive aisle that can function two-way at the upper portion and revert to a one-way pattern past a traffic-calming hump near the main pedestrian crossing. The design team proposed a crosswalk at the hump and said they will add bollards and other pedestrian-calming measures at known walking routes between buildings.

Lighting and noise were recurring concerns. The field proposal calls for six Musco LED poles that are remotely controllable and dimmable; the design team presented photometric exhibits showing aiming aimed to keep light on the playing surface and reported the nearest house would be more than 200 feet from the closest pole. The presenters cited target light levels of about 50 foot-candles in the infield and 30 foot-candles in the outfield and stressed the system’s ability to focus light and shut off remotely. Mayor Gallagher and other board members urged the applicant to minimize light spill and to match color temperature with existing neighborhood lighting.

The board also asked how the Hall of Fame from the referendum would be incorporated; Kenderdine said the interior hall along the high-roof hallway will provide space for banners, trophy cases and a digital display area at the building entrance. The architects said overhead doors at the weight room will allow outdoor access and that the building will be fully sprinklered to meet code for occupancy.

On schedule, the team gave a preliminary procurement timeline: the gym bid package would be issued in April–June with an anticipated August–September groundbreaking and about 20–24 months of construction; the turf work would be bid slightly earlier with the team aiming for substantial completion before 2027.

This was a courtesy review and no final approvals or votes were taken on the projects at the meeting. The board asked the district and design team to return with refined stormwater calculations, final lighting photometrics at property lines, and more detail on rooftop screening and signage options.