OPEN HOUSE November 15th @ 9:00 AM at Pollard Middle School

Participate in the Pollard Middle School Project

Pollard Middle School is over 65 years old, and the aging infrastructure is in need of critical upgrades. This initiative is a direct continuation of the Needham School Master Plan, building upon its foundational work to design a renovated or new school that will fully meet the educational needs of our 1300+ middle school students.

Needham has a unique opportunity to partner with the state for partial funding of this project. Its success requires the input and support of our entire community, and we want to understand your priorities.

Stay involved! We hope you will attend the upcoming community meetings and sign up for our Pollard Middle School Project email updates below.

CURRENT PHASE

Feasibility Study: Preferred Schematic Report (PSR)

NEXT COMMUNITY MEETING

Saturday, November 15, 9:00-10:30am
Pollard Open House: Tours and Q&A
In Person at Pollard Middle School
On-site childcare available

UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS:

SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Tuesday, November 18, 6:30pm
In Person at Broadmeadow Performance Center & via The Needham Channel

SAVE THE DATES:

Monday, November 17, 6:30pm
Public Hearing on Pollard Middle School Project
In Person at Pollard and on Zoom
Monday, November 24, 6:30pm
All Boards Summit #2
In Person at Broadmeadow Performance Center and on Zoom

COMMUNITY QUESTION

How will the athletic facilities at DeFazio be impacted by construction of a school at that site?

If DeFazio is selected for the site of the new school, the current plan anticipates two athletic fields will be closed during construction: Healy Field, a multi-purpose grass field, and Asa Small Field, a 60’ diamond. The Pavilion area and Tot Lot will also be impacted.

All other fields — including the track, the two 90-foot diamonds, and the two lighted turf fields — will remain open and usable throughout construction. The first phase of the project will create a new permanent parking lot where Healy Field is currently located, ensuring that there will be parking available for field users for the duration of the project. Once construction is completed, this lot will still provide all-hours parking for the fields, with additional parking available in the school parking lots after school and on weekends.

After construction of the new school building at DeFazio is complete and the existing Pollard building is demolished, the Healy Field, Asa Small Field, Tot Lot, and potentially one additional field will be reconstructed at the Harris Avenue site, along with additional parking lots. The estimated time between closure of the two fields at DeFazio and their reopening at Harris Avenue is 36 - 54 months. Ongoing collaboration with the Park and Recreation Commission will be essential throughout this process.

The new school will fulfill the current functions of the Pavilion for bathrooms and shelter. It is the intent that the north side of the school site adjacent to the track will become an area where people can gather during athletic events. Any storage, plumbing and electrical systems will likely be integrated into the building.

It is important to note that if the new school is built at the Harris Avenue site, an area at DeFazio will still be needed for temporary construction support, such as laydown space and contractor parking. There are two possible locations: the existing DeFazio parking lot, which is under the School Committee’s jurisdiction, or Warner Field near the MBTA tunnel, which would require approval from the Park and Recreation Commission.

Will the cost of field replacement be included in the Pollard project budget?

Yes, the cost of field replacement is part of the project budget, and has been included in all cost estimates. Design of the new fields at Harris Avenue will be at a minimum consistent with the current size and surface of the existing Healy and Asa Small fields. The Park and Recreation Commission will not need to seek additional funding to recreate the affected fields.

We want to hear from you! Question and feedback on the Pollard Middle School Project can be submitted through our online contact form.