Posted onOctober 13, 2025|Comments Off on Energy Com. Info Sessions on Coming Specialized Energy Code – 10/22
From the Medfield Energy Committee –
Medfield Energy Committee Educates the Public about the Specialized Building Code
The Medfield Energy Committee will hold two public forums on Wednesday, October 22nd to discuss a new building energy code known as the Specialized Code. Medfield residents will likely be asked to vote on adoption of the Specialized Code at Town Meeting in 2026, and MEC is continuing to educate the public on this topic. Fifty-five other towns in Massachusetts have already chosen to adopt this code.
The Specialized Code requires new construction, only, to be built to increased energy efficiency standards. It is very important to note that the Specialized Code DOES NOT affect any existing homes, renovations/additions to homes, or historic homes. Under the Specialized Code, new buildings can comply by being built all-electric (meaning no oil, gas, or propane fuel is used anywhere in the home). If a new building’s design includes the use of some fossil fuels for heating, cooking, etc., this is still allowable under the Specialized Code, but the code requires that such buildings be pre-wired for future electrification, and to have on-site solar generation.
The Medfield Energy Committee supports adoption of the Specialized Code, given that it is an opportunity to ensure that new buildings in town are built to the best available energy efficiency standards. Additionally, enhanced state funding is available to towns that have adopted the Specialized Code and fulfilled other requirements, as part of the Climate Leaders Program, the next tier of the Green Communities program. Medfield has already received $666,000 in funding under the state’s Green Communities program, and would be eligible for continued and enhanced funding opportunities as a Climate Leaders community. These grants have allowed Medfield to install energy efficient upgrades in municipal buildings and schools when equipment needed replacing, leading to energy savings and reduced carbon emissions.
The forums on October 22nd will be held via Zoom, and will offer two separate sessions. Session 1, beginning at 5:00 p.m., will be geared towards construction professionals, and will include technical information and time for feedback. Session 2 will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is intended for the general public. The Zoom links for these sessions can be found at the MEC website: https://www.town.medfield.net/2308/Specialized-Code
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Posted onAugust 23, 2025|Comments Off on The MSBC Newsletter!
From the School Building Committee –
Welcome To The MSBC Newsletter!
We are working hard to share SBC news to all community members. You can help us by sharing this link to our email newsletters and/or directing people to sign up on our Town webpage. THANK YOU!
Next Meeting: SBC Meetings: Meetings take place in the Public Safety Building @ 7:00 PM in person and on ZOOM. All community members are welcome!
Regular monthly meeting September 3rd @ 7:00 in the Public Safety Building
For over 80 years, the Dale Street School has been a place of learning for Medfield students. It was built as a High School in 1942 with a major addition added in 1962 when it became an Elementary School. The School Building Committee, created in 2023, is charged with figuring out whether the community wants to build a new elementary school or do an addition/renovation of the current building. It’s time to modernize our educational facility!
AUGUST UPDATE
At the August meeting the SBC discussed next steps as we wait for the MSBA to review and approve the various documents submitted in June for Module One. The SBC will host a booth on Medfield Day- Saturday, September 27th, 10:00-4:00. Our booth will be located behind the Town House. Please stop by with any questions, and/or thoughts as we move ahead with a future elementary school building project.
Do you have a question for the SBC?
In preparation for our Medfield Day booth, the SBC is putting together a brief “Current Questions” handout. If you have a question that you would like answered please send an email to: casey_sbc@medfield.net.
MSBA NEXT STEPS
After the MSBA reviews and accepts all of our submitted documents for Module One, the SBC will be invited to a MSBA Board meeting to begin Module Two. Module Two is when the Feasibility Process begins. Module Two begins with the hiring of an OPM (Owner’s Project Manager). We will let you know as soon as we hear back from the MSBA about our status. This process of moving to Module Two may take a few months.
NEIGHBORHOOD CAPTAINS
The Neighborhood Captains will meet in the next few weeks to focus on Medfield Day and building community involvement. If you think this is a way that you could help the SBC, please send a brief email with your name and address to Carolyn Casey@ casey_sbc@medfield.net.
Click to view a short video with an update from the August 20th meeting. All of the SBC updates and meeting packet materials can be found on the Town webpage by clicking Medfield School Building Committee in the menu under Government.
Missed a SBC meeting? Use this link to view previous meetings.
Sign up for information from the Medfield School Building Committee!
Do you want to stay informed on the proposed new elementary school project? The MSBC is making it even easier for you! Sign up for our email newsletter today!
Monday at the annual town meeting (ATM) Steve Dragotakes asked about what town owned land was currently for sale, and Select Board chair Murby mentioned the land at the former Medfield State Hospital site known as Parcel B which is South of Hospital Road where a basketball facility was recently proposed – shown as The South Field on the above plan.
For me the primary town property I would like to see monetized first is not that Parcel B which are beautiful open fields and woods, but rather the land that the Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee called The Arboretum. The Arboretum is about 12 acres that contains the former employee homes around the Stonegate entrance (the entrance nearest the downtown).
I suggest the town should first seek to sell The Arboretum after the Trinity Financial project is built, as then The Arboretum land will substantially increase in value. In the interim, I would suggest that the town change the zoning on that land from the sparse density the Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee placed on it, so as to permit more dense development and add more to its sale value.
We all want to preserve open space, but to me the open space I treasure at the former Medfield State Hospital site are the fields surrounding the already built areas, and I am not bothered by building greater density in the already built areas.
I see Old Village Square off of RTE 27 as a model for the density and curb appeal of what could go in The Arboretum. Old Village Square nets the town a large net profit of real estate taxes over municipal costs each year – maybe $600,000/year. The Arboretum developed in a similar manner could add maybe $1,000,000/year to our tax base without much town cost. My path to lowering our high residential real estate taxes is more via building housing that has minimal municipal costs, instead of looking to more business, commercial or industrial development – which few developers seem to want to locate in Medfield.
Posted onMarch 4, 2025|Comments Off on School Construction Costs up 31% in last 5 Years
Boston Globe article this week on increases in school construction costs – we will now pay 31% more to build the Dale Street School replacement.
I read to the students in Ms. Sager’s class today as part of Read Across America, and talked with Stephen Grenham, the Principal, afterwards. He reminded me that the failed new school proposal would have opened in September 2024. Which would have allowed us to turn Dale over to the Medfield Park & Recreation Commission last summer.
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Last night ONYX Partners Ltd. (Anton Melchionda of Dover) presented the following proposal to a joint meeting of the Select Board, Warrant Committee, and Medfield Park & Recreation Commission.
Points from my notes:
ONYX’s entity as the developer would be a for profit real estate entity owning the land and the 80,000 sq. ft., 8 court basketball facility.
Medfield Park & Recreation Commission gets a 20,000 sq. ft. facility.
ONYX would still go ahead if the # of courts were reduced to as few as four.
ONYX’s prime tenant (30-40%) would be the non-profit BB program for kids K-12 Anton runs.
ONYX would pay property taxes.
Structures could be moved around on the site.
Bellforge Arts Center stated it is also interested in acquiring the use of the same 12 acres for purposes related to its cultural arts center.
My initial thoughts:
The town needs to know the financial details, but those are only likely to come much later, after the annual town meeting (ATM) and responses to a town request for proposals (RFP).
The large amount of traffic generated would severely impact residents.
I would place any structures next to the RR tracks, as far as possible from Hospital Road, so they are as hidden as much as possible from Hospital Road by the elevation change, in order to protect the view scape from the top of the hill as much as possible.
If an RFP is put out, it should be for any and all uses, so the town can evaluate all possible options for this precious town asset, including one from the Bellforge Arts Center.
Finally, as an alternative, I encourage Medfield Park & Recreation Commission to consider doing its own building, on the basis that the town borrows the money for MPRC’s building and MPRC commits to paying the debt service on that building out of the fees MPRC charges for programs they run out of the building. A former director of MPRC opined that the program revenues could financially pay the debt service.
Posted onFebruary 25, 2025|Comments Off on Basketball Facility at MSH Site – presentation at 6pm tonight
A large Basketball facility is proposed for town owned land in the area South of Hospital Road at the former Medfield State Hospital, and the proponent will explain his proposal this evening to a joint meeting of the Select Board, Warrant Committee, and Medfield Park & Recreation Commission this evening at 6PM. The Zoom link to that meeting is below.
I suspect the facility is being proposed for the area shown as the South field in the plan below, but note that is not the proponent’s plan. Per the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) between the state and the town when the town bought the Medfield State Hospital property, the town is permitted to develop only 12 acres of the almost 40 acres South of Hospital Road, because they are prime agricultural soils. The town swapped a restriction on 12 acres of the Holmquist land to be able to use those 12 acres. Per the LDA, the town also has to pay half of whatever it receives for the land to the state.
BELOW IS THE MEETING NOTICE FROM the TOWN WEBSITE:
TOWN OF MEDFIELD MEETING NOTICE Posted in accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 30A, §§18-25 This meeting will be held in a hybrid format. The Select Board will attend in person and members of the public may attend in person. In addition, members of the public who wish to participate via Zoom may do so by joining by one of the following options:
To join through a conference call, dial 929-436-2866 or 312-626-6799 or 253-215-8782 or 301-715-8592 or 346-248-7799 or 669-900-6833 a. Enter the Webinar ID: 885 3036 6678 b. Enter the password: 637025 Select Board Board or Committee PLACE OF MEETING DAY, DATE, AND TIME Chenery Hall, Medfield Town House Remote participation available through Zoom Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 6:00 pm Agenda (Subject to Change) Call to Order 6:00PM Presentation by Onyx Partners Ltd. regarding their proposal for a portion of the 40 acres of town-owned property located at Map 63, Parcel 004 Hospital Road also known as Parcel B of the former Medfield State Hospital property 6:45PM Questions and Public Comment 7:30PM Adjourn
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Posted onFebruary 19, 2025|Comments Off on Zullo Information Session 7PM Thursday
Email from the Zullo Gallery –
Zullo Gallery Center of the Arts
Wed, Feb 19 at 3:55 PM
Join Us… The Zullo Gallery is hosting an important information session at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 upstairs at the Zullo Gallery, 456A Main St., Medfield.
Please stop in if you’re interested in learning more about the opportunity for the Zullo to purchase the Main Street building it calls home, and how you can help.
We are working hard to share SBC news to all community members. You can help us by sharing this link to our email newsletters and/or directing people to sign up on our Town webpage.
SBC Meetings: Meetings take place in the Public Safety Building @ 7:00 PM in person and on ZOOM.All community members are welcome!
Wednesday, March 5th 2025
The Dale Street School has been the location for the students of Medfield for decades. It was built as a High School in 1942 with a major addition added in 1962 when it became an Elementary School. It is now over 80 years old!The School Building Committee, created in 2023, is charged with figuring out whether the community wants to build a new elementary school or do an addition/renovation of the current building. It’s time to modernize our educational facility!
FEBRUARY UPDATE
At the February meeting the SBC went through some of the administrative requirements in Module One of the MSBA process. There are many forms that the SBC will need to submit starting April 1, 2025.One of the first MSBA requirements is to create a School Building Committee. Medfield already created a school building committee (SBC) that has been meeting since January 2023. To comply with the MSBA’s guidelines for the makeup of a school building committee, the SBC will add two additional nonvoting members: a Local Chief Executive Officer (Select Board Member), and a Local Official Responsible for Building Maintenance.
Enrollment Data: The SBC must present enrollment data to the MSBA. The SBC reviewed the enrollment study completed in the spring of 2024 by FutureThink. We discussed their low, moderate, and high projection numbers for the Dale Street School. Though no decisions were made, the SBC discussed at length what number might be best for a future building project with many members expressing support for using the higher projection number of approximately 500 students.
If you are interested in understanding what is required in Module One please check out the MSBA website. It has a very detailed explanation of all steps.
TOWN MEETING One of the requirements in Module One is the town must successfully approve the money for a Feasibility Study. The Feasibility Study is in Module Two. At previous Town Meetings, the SBC received funds for a future Feasibility Study. We currently have 1.1 million. After discussing what Feasibility Studies are currently costing neighboring towns, the SBC decided that 1.5 million will be needed. At our annual May Town meeting there will be a Warrant Article requesting additional funds for this important next step in a future building project. We hope to see you at the Annual Town Meeting! (Monday, May 5th @ 7:00 P.M.)
CALLING FOR NEIGHBORHOOD CAPTAINS! Do you want to be part of a successful future building project??? The SBC has been discussing a variety of ideas for involving and informing community members as we move forward with the Dale Street School building project. One idea is to create Neighborhood Captains. These individuals would help the SBC by sharing and gathering information. Though we are in the very early stages of planning, we envision a process in which the SBC members would provide support, fact sheets, links,… to the neighborhood captains who would then disseminate information. Having an informed, involved community is VITAL to creating a successful future building project. If you think this is a way that you could help the SBC, please send a brief email with your name and address to casey_sbc@medfield.net.
GREAT NEWS FROM THE MSBA Did you know? Medfield has been accepted into the MSBA Reimbursement Program for 2025! Want to learn more about the MSBA process? Check out their website- MSBA
SBC Video Update 2/5/2025Click the link to view a short video with an update from the February 5th meeting. Video
All of the SBC updates and meeting packet materials can be found on the Town webpage by clicking Medfield School Building Committee in the menu under Government.
Sign up for information from the Medfield School Building Committee!
Do you want to stay informed on the proposed new elementary school project? The MSBC is making it even easier for you! Sign up for our email newsletter today!
I started this blog to share the interesting and useful information that I saw while doing my job as a Medfield select board member. I thought that my fellow Medfield residents would also find that information interesting and useful as well. This blog is my effort to assist in creating a system to push the information out from the Town House to residents. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how it can be done better.
For information on my other job as an attorney (personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, and real estate), please feel free to contact me at 617-969-1500 or Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com.
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