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Winchester School Committee declines to provide WCCP care-and-control letter for Carriage House roof project, pledges feedback and further engagement
Summary
After extended public comment and committee discussion about student safety, disclosure and timelines, the Winchester School Committee voted 5-0 to direct the chair to draft a letter declining a CCC letter for the Carriage House WCCP roof application, while providing feedback and committing to continued collaboration; the committee separately approved two other WCCP projects by unanimous vote.
After extended public comment and a lengthy committee discussion about safety, procurement disclosure and community notice, the Winchester School Committee voted unanimously to direct the chair to draft a letter that declines to provide a care-and-control (CCC) letter for the Carriage House roof application to the WCCP, provides specific feedback to the applicant, and commits the committee to ongoing engagement to develop a path forward.
Nora Cooney, a neighbor of the carriage house, opened public comment saying the Ambrose community "was certainly not given sufficient notice" of the application and that construction during the school year would be "detrimental to the Ambrose community." Electra Gavoni, president of the historical society, answered that the society has two decades of stewardship of the Sanborn House and that past restorations were executed "with the utmost concern of environmental concerns, of safety, of care of the children in the community."
Committee members raised multiple concerns before the motion. Miss Munyarji stressed that the committee had repeatedly said "we would not want to see any work done during the school year" and found it alarming that the application did not disclose the builder, raising questions about insurance, unionization and labor practices. Mister Belair said he supports preservation in principle but thought the present application "is not ready" for public funds and asked for clearer documentation of funds raised and design details. Mister Hopcroft recommended postponing a final decision if the committee did not have sufficient information and suggested pausing demolition timelines to reduce time pressure.
Mister Belair moved that the school committee direct the chair to prepare a letter that (1) declines to provide a CCC letter for the carriage house roof WCCP application, (2) provides feedback on the application and (3) expresses a commitment to ongoing engagement among Save Our Carriage House, the Ambrose community, abutters and the broader Winchester public to develop a path forward. Miss Munyarji seconded; the motion was amended to include sending a copy to WCCP chair Christina Marshall. The committee voted 5-0 to approve the directive; the chair said he would draft the letter within 24 to 48 hours.
The committee also took two additional WCCP votes: it voted unanimously to support the Walk and Roll WCCP application as it pertains to the Morocco property, and it voted unanimously to support the Lincoln School WCCP application for a playground shade structure. The chair said he will forward those recommendations to the WCCP chair.
The action to decline the CCC letter does not permanently rule out preservation; committee members emphasized it reflects current information needs and safety concerns rather than opposition to preservation. The committee set a follow-up workshop and agreed to include an executive session item next week to continue related discussions.
