Spend Smart Brookline is advocating for a No vote on Q1 in order to get a revised plan for Pierce – one that’s better for Brookline.
The current plan will increase residents’ cost of living, cause years-long community chaos, and have environmental impacts that could not be zeroed out, even with energy-efficient construction.
Thousands of students and families have adored their Pierce experience throughout the years, and many would love to see the building returned to its former glory. They note that re-use – the greenest approach – could be achieved in parallel with right-sizing and/or a modern addition.
Others favor a partial demolition/new addition that’s much less impactful than the extreme plan we face now; or sticking with the knock-it-down-and-build-new approach, but for a building that’s not so large and doesn’t resemble an elite college campus.
These and other options were given a perfunctory glance by the building committee early on, but there’s no evidence they engaged in the kind of study necessary for legitimate consideration of alternatives.
That should have happened, and it should have happened with a budget as the guide.
When the building committee saw that “New Construction” would push us into $200 million territory, they should have drawn a red line and said, “No. We can’t go there. That’s not something responsible municipal leaders do.”
Today, fact, reason, and common sense confirm: Somewhere between “Something has to happen at Pierce” and The Most Expensive Elementary School Ever Built in Massachusetts, there is a better way.