Voters gathered for a previous Town Meeting at Spillane Field on April 10. Photo by: Madison Czopek
The Town Meeting scheduled for May 8 has been postponed to June 12 because there is a chance of rain on Saturday.
Town Moderator Claire Smith said that she agonized over the decision, but ultimately decided that, with the chance of rain, it was best to cancel. Because of the irrigation system under Spillane Field, it isn’t possible to put tents up on the field.
Smith, Town Counsel Richard Bowen, and Town Clerk Michele Bissonnette all have various commitments that made rescheduling the Town Meeting for another Saturday in May impossible, and the first Saturday in June will be graduation day for Wareham’s High School seniors.
Chloe Shelford May 3, 2021
A drone photo of the new school, taken in early April. Photo courtesy: Dean Decas/Wareham Elementary School Building Project Facebook Page
Voters will decide the name for the new elementary school being built on Minot Avenue at Town Meeting on May 8.
A citizens petition article, led by School Committee member Mike Flaherty and School Building Committee member Rhonda Veugen, would name the building “The Wareham Elementary School” if the article passes.
According to the Board of Selectmen and Town Counsel Richard Bowen, the school already has a name: “The Decas School at Minot Forest.”
When Town Meeting voted to fund the new school in 2018, the article referred to the project as the “Decas School at Minot Forest.” The Selectmen asserted that that article simultaneously named the school, although that was not explicitly discussed at the time.
An aerial view of Main Street. Photo courtesy: Town of Wareham
A number of zoning changes are on the warrant for the Town Meeting scheduled for Saturday, May 8.
The Planning Board held public hearings about the bulk of those changes on April 12, but no members of the public participated.
Rezoning Wareham Village
The proposed changes to the Wareham Village zoning district, which stretches along Main Street from Tremont Nail to the Zecco Marina, are meant to foster redevelopment of the village while preserving its character and especially encouraging small business uses through mixed-use zoning.
Mixed use zoning allows a variety of uses, including retail, residential, office, entertainment, and culture to fit together in a single environment. Outdoor space including plazas and parks are also incorporated.
• Two full-size gymnasiums for indoor sports to use during the colder months
• Three full-size sports fields
The plans also detailed a project with three phases that would be completed in 10 years.
“With your vote in favor of Articles 2 and 3, we will be able to continue moving forward in providing a safe and high level of sports and education the youth deserve here in Wareham,” the Tigers said in the statement.
In November 2020, Jared Chadwick, the president of the Wareham Tigers Athletic Association, told Wareham Week that much of the land would be for the three sports fields: a main football field, a warm-up/practice field and one practice and flag football field that would be slightly smaller than a regular football field.
What to do with Wareham Decas School property
Wicked Local
WAREHAM - A “flexible” commercial development is the best reuse of the 15.5-acre Decas School property at 760 Main St., according to a recent study.
The grant-funded Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District study was presented to Selectmen Tuesday.
The School District turns the property over to the town in 2022 after the new elementary school is completed.
Such a development would provide needed tax revenue to the town and new jobs. A 170,000-square-foot facility could provide $219,000 in annual tax revenue, and 270 jobs, according to SRPEDD estimates.
The current 70,000-square-foot school building would be razed to make way for the new building.