The Mattacheese Utilization Committee unveiled five distinct development alternatives for the former school site on Thursday, navigating a complex balance between a 120,000-square-foot indoor sports complex, municipal housing goals, and a looming financial squeeze. As the town eyes the redevelopment of the Higgins Crowell Road property, committee members were urged to keep a close watch on the town’s bottom line. John Anderson highlighted recent warnings from Town Administrator Robert Whritenour regarding the upcoming FY27 budget, noting that the challenges and how tight it's going to be must remain a primary consideration for any future site recommendations.

The presentation by Heather of the BSC Group detailed various configurations for the site, which include an indoor sports facility sized for a full soccer field and up to five outdoor multi-use fields. While the recreational components are a centerpiece, several plans also integrate housing to address local shortages. Concepts range from a 60-unit apartment complex and six townhouses to a more intensive housing-focused model featuring 32 additional townhouses. Heather noted that there are so many different ways that you could lay out the different elements on the site, emphasizing the flexibility of the current draft designs.

Public feedback during the session underscored community anxiety regarding the scale of residential development. One unidentified resident voiced concerns that the inclusion of housing in every design option might push the town too far toward urbanization. I noticed that each one has a housing complex and I'm wondering if there will be a vote, the resident asked, adding, I don't think that we want to become a city. In response, Amy Frigulietti of the Town Administration explained that while a previous survey showed majority support for housing, the town is aiming for a balance of roughly 60 units rather than the massive 200-unit complexes seen elsewhere. Frigulietti also clarified that the Mattacheese site has been removed from a separate town-wide field study to allow this specific committee to finalize its own specialized recommendations.

The committee's internal debate touched on the trade-offs between green energy and land use. While some plans included the retention of an existing solar field, the consensus among members leaned toward repurposing that land for higher-value recreation or housing. J. Anderson argued for removing the ground-mounted solar layout from the formal presentation, stating, the land is more valuable than solar. Conversely, Casey Schmidt expressed a more cautious approach to discarding the energy infrastructure, noting, I personally don't mind keeping the solar option just because we know that the Select Board is pretty pro-energy efficiency. The committee eventually agreed to keep solar as a back-pocket discussion item, potentially utilizing rooftops or parking canopies instead of dedicated ground space.

Recreational priorities also faced scrutiny. Joe Podska raised concerns about the lack of diversity in field types within the current drafts. My only concern is that there's no baseball field, Podska said, noting that the current wonderful complex appears to cater almost exclusively to soccer players. The committee also considered broader municipal impacts, including a potential shift in school grade levels. Committee Chair Sharon mentioned a proposal from the Superintendent of Schools to move 7th-grade students to the high school and 3rd-grade students to an intermediate facility to avoid the costs of new construction. Sharon noted the intent is to adjust the school grade levels and locations for the possibility of not building, potentially moving students from the M.E. Small school to free up space elsewhere.

The meeting concluded with a routine correction of the public record after members noticed the Chair had been misidentified as "Susan" in previous documents. Motion Made by J. Anderson to approve the minutes with the amendment to change "Susan" to "Sharon." Motion Passed (6-0). Committee members Andrew and Barbara Lavoy participated in the unanimous vote. The committee is scheduled to present its refined options to the Select Board on February 3rd, followed by a wide-scale community engagement meeting on February 25th.