Come meet Trinity’s VP of Development Abby Goldenfarb (and her dog Milo) at the grounds of Medfield State Hospital on Saturday, June 18th from 9 am to 11 am. This is an opportunity to ask some final questions prior to the Special Town Meeting on June 21.
Important Update: The Board of Selectman have scheduled the Special Town Meeting for Tuesday, June 21st at 6:00 PM at Medfield High School.
The Chapel
Medfield State Hospital News – Water / Sewer Important Update:
The Land Disposition Agreement (“LDA”) between the Town and Trinity Financial is available for review on the Town’s website. The LDA sets out important terms of the transaction, including: Land to be acquired which is approximately 45 acres north of Hospital Road Purchase price of $2 million plus reimbursement of Town costs Trinity’s responsibility for environmental remediation Trinity’s obligation to fund all infrastructure associated with the project.
In addition, Trinity will offer additional mitigation of the development’s possible impact, including improvements to three key intersections along Harding Street and a $1 million mitigation payment for the Medfield Public Schools.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, June 16 at 7 pm: School Committee
Thursday, June 16 at 8 pm: Warrant Committee
Saturday, June 18 at 9 am to 11 am: Breakfast with Trinity Financial at the Medfield State Hospital
Tuesday, June 21 at 6 pm: Special Town Meeting at Medfield High School
During public information sessions over the last several months, the Town has received important questions about the proposed redevelopment and possible impacts on water and sewer, finances including education costs and capacity, and traffic. Please see FAQs below for water and sewer capacity. Stay tuned for additional updates focusing on fiscal impacts (including schools) and traffic mitigation.
Does the Town have sufficient water and sewer capacity to support the redevelopment? Yes, the Town has sufficient water and sewer capacity to support Trinity’s proposed redevelopment while still retaining capacity under its permits and to allow for future development in Medfield. Two studies have been completed this year, in addition to two studies commissioned by the Town in 2019. All four studies conclude there is sufficient capacity.
On behalf of Trinity Financial, their engineering consultant, VHB, developed conceptual water and sewer infrastructure plans, sewer flow estimates, and water demand estimates. VHB’s report is available for review here. VHB anticipates the proposed redevelopment will generate 56,295 gallons of wastewater that needs to be treated by the Town’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. VHB anticipates the proposed redevelopment will require 61,925 gallons of water per day, based on a 10 percent increase over estimated sewer flows to account for non-consumptive uses.
The Town hired its engineering consultant, Environmental Partners, to peer review Trinity’s wastewater flow and water demands. The Board of Water and Sewerage also discussed the estimates at their meeting on June 7 and board members noted that there is sufficient capacity. The video of this discussion is available here. Christian Carpenter, a member of the Board of Water and Sewerage, met with the Warrant Committee on June 13 to discuss water and sewer impacts further.
Environmental Partners is an engineering firm that performs significant utility engineering for the Town and has assisted the Town with numerous other projects. Environmental Partners conducted a peer review of VHB’s report on behalf of the Town. The firm agreed with VHB’s estimated wastewater flows and water demand as they were prepared using standard methodology. Environmental Partner’s peer review is available here.
Excerpts from Environmental Partners’ peer review are below: Environmental Partners’ initial evaluation finds that current proposed project’s estimated peak day water demands of 61,925 gpd (0.06 MGD) could be accommodated under current authorized limits provided that the Town continues to be proactive with its water conservation programs.Based upon a review of recent historical April and September WWTP flow data (2019 through 2021), the Town’s existing WWTP can accommodate the estimated sewer generation from the MSH development. The Town is currently working on reducing I/I (Inflow and Infiltration) issues in the sanitary sewer system. The MSH development is located in Sewershed Area 1. The Town should identify an equivalent level of I/I reductions in Sewershed Areas 1 and 2 (contributes to Area 1) to offset the proposed MSH development flows. Environmental Partners also reviewed the wastewater flow and water demand in relation to the Town’s existing permits. For water, the Town would have complied with its water withdrawal limits each year since 2011, except 2014 and 2015 when it would have slightly exceeded its permitted withdrawal amounts. Since 2015, the DPW Water Division and the Board of Water and Sewerage have worked diligently to identify and repair leaks. Fixing these leaks decreases the Town’s unaccounted for water (water pumped at our wells but that does not pass through a water meter to a customer) and expands the amount of water capacity under the Town’s permitted amount.
The Town’s Water Management Act permit allows the Town to pump an average of 1.51 million gallons of water per day over a calendar year. The Town’s five wells have a design capacity to pump well above the limits in our permit. This capacity will be expanded further upon the completion of the new water treatment plant project at Wells 3 and 4 (anticipated Spring 2023), an important project for the Town which is being pursued irrespective of the proposed Medfield State Hospital redevelopment.
Why do we have water bans every summer if there is sufficient water capacity? Water use restrictions are separate and distinct from whether the Town has sufficient water capacity.
Water use restrictions are determined by the Town’s Water Management Act permit. This permit uses a benchmark of water in the area by using the streamflow in the Charles River at the Dover station. When the flow in the river is lower than certain thresholds as set in the permit, this triggers the Town to adjust the water restrictions accordingly.
In addition, there may be drought declarations by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that also dictate water restrictions in areas that impact Medfield. These state-imposed restrictions can override the restrictions specified in the Town’s permit. So even though the Town has access to sufficient water and has the ability to pump water from its wells AND the flows in the Charles River may allow for the Town to pump water from its wells according to its permit to higher levels, the state may still require the Town to put restrictions in place during drought conditions.
Why have we had a water restriction in place since May? The Town is currently under a Tier 4 water restriction which prohibits nonessential water use, except by a handheld hose. This restriction is in place due to equipment failure at Well 6 which is anticipated to be repaired by mid-June. If Well 6 were not shut down and the Town did not need to impose this temporary restriction, Medfield would still be under a Tier 3 restriction (nonessential water use only allowed one day per week) due to the current drought declaration by the state for our region.
As of Wednesday, June 15, repairs to Well 6 are underway. We will update the community as soon as Well 6 is operational.
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: 812 5008 9206 b. Enter the password: 808096 The packet with meeting materials for this meeting is available at this link: https://www.town.medfield.net/DocumentCenter/View/6224/BOS-Meeting-Packet-June-14-2022
Posted onJune 11, 2022|Comments Off on Mailing for STM re Trinity proposal for MSH
Look for your mailed copy of the postcard that the town sent out as a reminder of the special town meeting (STM) at 6 PM on June 21, 2022 to decide whether to proceed with Trinity Financial on its proposed development for the former Medfield State Hospital site. All the Trinity materials and the town peer review materials and information are on-line, except the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA), which should be finalized and released in days.
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Posted onJune 11, 2022|Comments Off on Paul Narkewich Eagle Scout Court of Honor
Troop 10 held an Eagle Scout Court of Honor at the UCC this afternoon for their newest Eagle Scout, Paul Narkewich, shown below with his parents and Scoutmaster Matt Johnson.
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Posted onJune 10, 2022|Comments Off on Bellforge’s Launch Party, 11:00 am Saturday
From Bellforge Arts Center’s Stacey David, Director of Marketing & Communications –
CULTURAL ALLIANCE CHANGES NAME AND LAUNCHES
BELLFORGE ARTS CENTER
(Medfield, MA): The Cultural Alliance of Medfield (CAM), a non-profit organization in Medfield, MA, is pleased to announce the naming of the multi-arts center planned at the former Medfield State Hospital (MSH) campus. Both the CAM organization and the cultural destination will now be branded the Bellforge Arts Center, serving Boston’s MetroWest region with a flexible-use performance venue, rehearsal studios and classrooms, outdoor stages, and green space for community events and activities.
The name celebrates the bell tower, an architectural feature of the historic chapel building located at the heart of the 87-acre property. Leading the project’s development, the Chapel will be restored as a 300-seat concert hall, while the site’s former Infirmary will be re-envisioned as an arts education center. A connecting breezeway will join the two buildings, creating a 24,000 square-foot cultural home for the performing and visual arts. With the word “forge,” the new name also honors the project’s mission, to develop an inclusive gathering place and experiential arts hub in which to make and create.
“With Bellforge, we’re emphasizing a place for making, whether that’s art or friendships,” says Bellforge’s Executive Director Jean Mineo.
With a 99-year lease on the two signature buildings, Bellforge has a transformational vision for the Arts Center: to strengthen access to the arts and arts education in the MetroWest region, to encourage health and wellness through creative exploration, and to foster collaboration and community through multicultural and intergenerational programs and partnerships.
Bellforge recently received a $10,000 Arts & Culture grant from the Foundation for MetroWest and a $45,000 award from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) to present a series of 25 concerts and festivals running from April through October on their new outdoor stage. June 11 will be Bellforge’s Launch Party, which begins at 11:00 am with a panel discussion by music industry experts, including Ralph Jaccodine, Livingston Taylor’s Manager; Carl Lavin, Owner/Booking Agent for Great Scott; Cliff Notez, Founder and CEO of HipStory; and Jean Mineo, Executive Director of the Bellforge Arts Center. This discussion on the value of venues like Bellforge for performers, audiences, and the vitality of the arts in the MetroWest region will be followed at noon with a concert on the Center’s outdoor stage with Dutch Tulips and Will Dailey. The public is invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair, settle back and enjoy. The event is free, though attendees are asked to register at bit.ly/BellforgeLaunch
For more information about the Bellforge Arts Center, including a schedule of upcoming programs and events, please visit www.bellforge.org.
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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.
