City takes action on Fernald: memorial, restoration and surveys

By AUBREY HAWKE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer

City officials have taken initial action on several proposals for work on the Fernald property. 

These include memorial plaques for the former residents, guardians and employees of the institution; environmental surveys of two buildings on the property; and renovations on a third historic building. 

The City Council took up the proposals from Waltham Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy at the council meeting on Jan. 27.

Memorial plaques

In a Jan. 23 letter to the City Council, McCarthy requested black and gold memorial plaques to be placed on three benches in the memorial area of the property. These plaques would memorialize the former residents, guardians and employees of the historic school. 

The recently completed memorial area was installed in consultation with the guardians of former Fernald residents, McCarthy said.

The plaques are set to be discussed by the city’s Licenses and Franchises Committee at its  Feb. 3 meeting, set for 7 p.m. at City Hall.  

Renovation of historic cottage

McCarthy also requested $236,160 from the city’s Unreserved Fund Balance for the renovation of the historic Trapelo Cottage building. 

The cottage, located at 190 Trapelo Road, dates back to the 1860s, making the building 30 years older than the institution that grew around it in the 1890s.

The city plans to fully renovate the building and turn the second floor into a studio apartment, McCarthy said. She said the first floor will house public restrooms for the property’s public amenities. 

The renovation plans also include replacing the exterior’s asbestos siding, demolishing the front porch, making the building entrance ADA compliant, stripping the interior to the framing, and replacing the roof. 

Framingham-based J.T. Haffey Builders are on deck to do the renovations. 

The Finance Committee is set to discuss funding the renovations at its Feb. 3 meeting. The environmental survey funding request is set to be discussed by the Finance Committee at their next meeting in the City Council Chamber at City Hall after the Committee of the Whole meeting concludes. 

Environmental surveys of two buildings

The mayor additionally requested $36,000 from the city’s Unreserved Fund Balance to undertake environmental surveys on two buildings on the Fernald property. 

“The scope of the work will include a pre-demo hazmat survey, an asbestos and lead paint environmental report, and the technical specifications required for the abatement at each building,” wrote McCarthy in a Jan. 22 letter to the City Council. 

The first building that would be surveyed is Farrell Hall, a two-story 50,000-square foot building that served as a dormitory and occupational therapy center. Farrell Hall, built in 1960, is not a registered historic building — as are many of the buildings on the property. 

The second building set for survey is Withington Hall, a three-story 40,000-square-foot building from 1969. 

The Finance Committee is slated to take up this funding request at its next meeting.