Pine Hill Access Road Committee In Sherborn State Their Case To Planning Board

There was a joint meeting of the Sherborn Planning Board and the Pine Hill Road Committee, on Wednesday, to discuss the Pine Hill access road article on the warrant for the Town Meeting, April 26. Committee member Frank Hess presented the approximate cost at a little over $1,024,000. 

Hess asked Pine Hill Elementary School principal Veronica Kenney to describe the situation and need for an additional exit road at the school.

She said that currently, if there were an emergency, the administration would have no place to vacate the students other than the Pine Hill Road entrance.

During summer months they could exit out the back of the school onto a dirt road, Cemetery Lane, through the Pine Hill Cemetery. 

“My primary concern is safety,” Kenney said.

She said if there are children or cars on Pine Hill Road, during an emergency, the emergency vehicles would not be able to make it to the school.

She said Pine Hill Road is a one-way drive and if anyone is exiting while another vehicle is entering, the vehicle entering will have to back down the road along with any vehicles behind it. 

“Visibility is poor,” she said. “We have a lot of near misses, especially with the snow,” she added. 

Kenney said that today a community could not build a school without the two exits.

Since the school’s erection in 1952, when there were only a 170 students, there have been two additions made to the school.  She noted that since then, the parking lot has never increased.

Sherborn Fire Chief Jon Dowse and Pine Hill Access Road Committee member stated there are only 77 parking spots available in the lot behind the school and 65 staff members.

Planning Board member Robin Perera said that, “There is a dearth of parking spaces. I’ve had kids there,” she said, adding that she can’t believe how many parents drive their kids when busing is available. 

In the current plan the new access road would exit behind the school through town forest and onto Route 16, which by itself will cost $520,000. The road will have a sidewalk and lighting, which together would cost $90,000.

Planning Board member Eric Johnson is concerned that traffic will be increasing on Route 16 after 3p.m. when school gets out.

Dowse reassured him that when school gets out, traffic will not be that bad.

Perera, Johnson, and board member John Higley all expressed concern that Route 16 will become a problem area for traffic.

They asked if there were plans to have police at the new intersection during school drop-offs and pick-ups. Dowse responded saying that they would have to see as the project moved along.

Planning Board chairman Tom Urmston brought to light what he saw as the, “the elephant in the room,” which he is believes it the topic of a completely new school.

Principal Kenney assured him, “That has never been a topic of discussion.”

Urmston said that regardless of what the school administration is discussing, that a new school is being talked about.

Kenney re-iterated that she had never heard about it.

Urmston asked, “What is the longevity of the school?”

Kenney said that the building is structurally sound and added that they just had someone looking at the roof after the snow. Hess stated that if they wanted a new school in 20 years, they could build it, but they would still need an access road. 

Urmston recommended that they cut the repaving of the parking lot, as it would shave $250,000 from the entire project.

He noted that considering the state of the economy, he would like to see this article go to town meeting well under $1,000,000.

Johnson said of the plans, “This looks reasonable,” and “cost effective.”

At the end of the night the board voted to have the Pine Hill Access Road Committee members come back to the next meeting and present again with a smaller budget.