This weekend the New School Site Selection Committee toured two new properties, the Ippoliti property on Rt 35 across from Fox Hill, and the old parochial High School which is owned by a convent, the Congregation of Notre Dame.
Using a map from the Town Buildings Dept., the team inspects the swamps and fields of the Ippoliti property on Rt. 35 across from Fox Hill. The property consists of 58 acres, with about 30+ acres of wetlands and water and 25 of forest uplands. The higher and drier lands are found on two mounds, both of which have been thoroughly surveyed and evaluated, which would leave room for a second school or ball fields. The site is served with water, sewer and gas. [l-r] Steve Zemo, Paul Jaehnig, Joseph Heyman (turned away from camera), Becky Mucchetti, Mike Violante, Laura Kreps
Steve Zemo, chairman of the Site Selection Committee, an unidentified hiker, and Selectman Joe Savino pause while hiking the swamps. Protecting the fragile environment of the Ippoliti property would be a concern of any development. If a school were located on the site, there would be large parcels available for sports fields, nature centers, hiking trails or even canoe rentals. This contrasts with the other choices for the space: two other bidders for the property are considering using it for a health care facility, and a third bidder is interested in using it for affordable housing, erecting perhaps as many as 400 small homes on the site.
Hiking these properties is a tough job. The first weekend the Committee visited four properties, all town-owned. This weekend they visited two more. The ice storm on Thursday night gave the park-like setting of the Ippoliti property a magical quality. [l-r] Barbara Manners, Board of Selectmen, Mary Miller, Gary Holland, Joseph Heyman, and Laura Kreps pause to look at the icy coating on the forest.
The team hikes the icy slopes of the Notre Dame school to evaluate its usefulness as an elementary school or as a Lower Middle School. The property is on some very rugged terrain on West Mountain Road, and lacks sufficient field space and expandability to serve upper grades, but probably would make an excellent elementary school. Documents from the Fire Marshall indicate it meets all applicable building codes, so upgrading the facility would be fairly inexpensive. [l-r] Paul Jaehnig, Mike Violante in the background, David Huntoon, Einstein the black lab, and Joe Savino with his daughter.
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