Video Of July 7 Public Hearing On Lease Of Elementary School Land To Chariho

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Video is 46 minutes long.

The Chariho School Committee is proposing one unified Chariho Elementary School for a referendum question on the November ballot for all voters in Charlestown, Hopkinton, and Richmond. The need for a new school, the cost, state funding, and more will be topics for discussion and debate in that November referendum. The August 4 referendum is just for Charlestown voters to give permission for the Chariho Regional School District to demolish the Charlestown Elementary School and build a new facility for use by the pre-k to fifth-grade students from all three towns if the November referendum to fund the new school bond passes district-wide.

Some of the discussion in this video:

  • Criteria for a new school location included parcels of at least 20 to 35 acres of land.
  • Over 60 locations throughout the school district were explored for the new school.
  • The sales price of the parcels deemed suitable for the school ranged from $2 million to $5.5 million, but these prices were too high for the budget.
  • The new buildings in Charlestown would be approximately 4 miles from the Chariho Regional Middle School and High School.
  • Charlestown would receive $1 per year as a lease payment for the 15.5-acre Charlestown School property and partial use of the 6.1-acre Wicklund Field open space property.
  • Richmond and Hopkinton elementary schools and land would be returned to their respective towns to use or dispose of as they like.
  • There would be about 1,200 students attending the new school in two buildings at the corner of Carolina Back Road and Old Shannock Road.
  • Wicklund Field would provide some parking and part of the wellhead protection area for the new school (see map below).
  • New buildings would be built one at a time, so that current Charlestown Elementary School students would stay in the existing building while the first building was constructed, and then move to the first new building while the second was constructed. When both buildings were finished, all district-wide pre-k to grade 5 students would occupy the Charlestown campus.
  • Each building would take about 2 years to construct, plus some time for site restoration. It is estimated that about 5 years will be needed to complete the entire campus.
  • There will be an estimated 25 large buses and 5 to 11 mini-buses, plus a changing number of cars each day from parents who choose to drive their children to school.
  • There are long driveways and other circulation to try to keep as many cars and buses as possible on the school property and not backing up onto local roads.
  • People from all three towns would be able to use the gymnasium and other rooms after school hours for recreation or meetings. Charlestown would not have priority for use of the facility. That is the current practice with the existing schools.
  • There has been a traffic study that will be made public if possible.
  • Neighbors spoke and expressed concerns about nearly tripling the impact of cars, buses, and noise; slowdowns in their commutes to work because of traffic jams; impacts on their drinking water; and decreasing property values for nearby homes.
  • Part of the presentation and discussion was about the need for new schools, improved safety, and better learning environments although those discussions are not site specific and will be part of the discussion for the November election when the referendum on the school construction takes place.
  • If the voters in Charlestown approve the August 4 referendum to lease this land to the Chariho Regional School District, the District will go forward and place a referendum on the November 4 general election ballot, and conduct a public informational campaign to explain the bond and school construction question that will be on that November ballot.
  • If the voters in Charlestown defeat the August 4 referendum, it is unclear what the District’s next move would be.

On August 4, there will be an all-day referendum at the Charlestown Town Hall on the following ballot question:

“… shall the Town Council of the Town of Charlestown be authorized to act by resolution or ordinance to enter into a long‑term ground lease with the Chariho Regional School District for the construction, financing, and operation of an elementary school serving the Towns of Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton consisting of one or more buildings on a single campus on the site of the former Charlestown Elementary School, with the Chariho Regional School District responsible for demolishing the existing Charlestown Elementary School building and enter into a license agreement with the Chariho Regional School District for school use of Wicklund Field, a Town‑owned recreation area acquired or improved with Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants, while the Town retains ownership and Wicklund Field remains dedicated to public outdoor recreation in compliance with LWCF requirements and in connection therewith, authorize the Town Council to adopt an ordinance providing for such ground lease and license arrangements?”

Approval of this question will:

  • Authorize the Town Council to enter a long‑term ground lease under which the Chariho Regional School District will demolish the existing Charlestown Elementary School building and construct, finance, and operate a new elementary consisting of one or more buildings on a single campus school serving the Towns of Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton on that site;
  • Authorize the Town Council to enter into a license agreement allowing the Chariho Regional School District to use Wicklund Field for school programs, while the Town keeps ownership and Wicklund Field continues to function as public outdoor recreation consistent with LWCF rules; and
  • 
Authorize the Town Council to adopt any ordinance necessary to provide for and implement the ground lease and Wicklund Field license arrangement described above.

The August 4 referendum is only about agreements and leases with Chariho. Approval of the August referendum is not an approval of the bond for school construction, that vote will take place in November.

Image on the left shows the site in Carolina containing the current Charlestown Elementary School. Note, Wicklund Field is shown to the south.

Image on the right shows the plan for the new elementary school consisting of two buildings on the single campus, including Wicklund Field.

Links to more information: