Please share with me your ideas of what the Medfield State Hospital site should become, so that I can carry your ideas to the Monday meeting Mike Sullivan, Kristine Trierweiler and I have set up with Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzales and DCAM Commissioner Carole Cornelison. Sounds like the state feels the realm of possibilities door is wide open, based on quotes from Carole Cornelison in the Boston Globe this morning.
Some of my ideas:
1. Town of Medfield buys the site – but for what? It would be too expensive to just make it a park.
2. Have it become the state’s premier regional sports and fitness destination, with activities from all the usual sports like basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer and lacrosse to equestrian, kayaking, and boating, with both indoor and outdoor facilities, and residential facilities for participants.
Please send me your ideas via osler.peterson@verizon.net, and I will carry your ideas to the state officials.
Medfield02052's Blog 
I believe every attempt should be made to preserve the land and historic buildings at the State Hospital. It should NOT be a golf course, or a sports complex, both of which would consume enormous amounts of energy and water to run (and, in the case of a golf course, would no doubt add huge quantities of toxic fertilizers and herbicides to the soil.) It should NOT be a developed community, again putting a strain on our energy sources, school system, and town resources. Both of these ideas would completely change the landscape and greatly upset the natural environment and wildlife habitats. This land is one of the most beautiful, undeveloped open spaces in our area, and yet many people seem to want to “build” something on it in order to “improve” it. I don’t know enough about the buildings to make an informed recommendation about renovating them. I know it would be costly; but it seems that it would have a far greater environmental impact, not to mention the historical impact, to tear them all down and put up new buildings. I would love to see the hospital become an arts institute, or a small technical or agricultural/environmental studies college. It would seem that the elevation at the highest point of the property would be a perfect location for a few wind turbines, which would provide energy for the school, and the focus of work at the school could be conducted using sound, ecological practices. Where might we find someone to take on such a project? Large universities who it might interest as an extension school? Some environmental engineering schools or companies? I wouldn’t know where to start, but if this is a direction others wish to consider, I would be willing to participate in a search for prospective buyers. But, again, PLEASE!!!! NO HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, SPORTS COMPLEX, OR GOLF COURSE!! Thanks.
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A portion of the land could be divided into agricultural packets to encourage farming. So many acres offered to those willing to work the land. Criteria could be set. A house, and “barn” to be built on the land. A particular type of farm would have to be established, such as dairy, orchard, vegetable, flower. Benefits are many. Folks would have to qualify, but land would eventually be at no cost if the person stayed on land that was productive for x amount of years. Taxes would be paid. This would be like a “development” from the 1960’s, but for farming.
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As much as I would love to see the town have a pool, wouldn’t turning the hospital parcel into some sort of sports complex duplicate some of what we have in the Kingsbury Club or what is planned at the Kingsbury site?
My biggest fear would be that a housing development would change traffic patterns, water use, and place a greater strain on the schools.
An small office park or a small college sound great, if the state really needs to move forward with some project. I saw the materials from the foundation you posted, but if a college is one of the options, I’d have to think that one of the bigger and more established universities in Boston would be interested in extension campus land.
Thank you very much for blogging about the process and keeping us all in the loop.
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Tom,
I saw the sports/fitness complex as something much larger, grander, and more diverse than the Kingsbury Club – and hopefully not a competitor, as that we would not want to do. It was just brainstorming, but I was thinking of more sports than the Kingsbury Club will ever offer. Maybe of something like an Olympic training facility.
Colleges always look lovely and usually have many interesting things occurring on their campuses, but one will not generate any property taxes for Medfield and the students are not likely to become part of our community, nor will they keep similar hours with the rest of the town residents. From what I hear, today’s college students begin their weekend parties on Thursday evenings now.
There is no getting around the fact that anything done at the Medfield State Hospital site will generate traffic and make some demands on town services. However, I think it will be an interesting process to re-examine the potential uses anew, as the state committed yesterday to putting fresh eyes on the options.
Pete
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My grandfather was an inmate there for many years, till his death. I recall visiting him when I was a little girl in the 1950s. No one in the family every told me why he was there or what it was — just that it was a hospital.
I’ll never forget the wire mesh screening on the porches.
I think it is best as a national historical site — with part of a building set up as it would have been in the 1940-50s or earlier. As to the rest — it makes a great movie set. Or how about a bed and breakfast? A hotel? A whole foods farm on part of it? An all-season youth camp in part? Senior citizen residences in part? Lots of ideas. Just don’t demolish it. Its architecture ought to be preserved as well as its history. Nancy Koper The Netherlands
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