Harwich Examines Future Elementary School Sites As Monomoy District Enrollment Drops

HARWICH – The real estate and open space committee has been directed to look at land for a new elementary school, potentially a regional facility for Chatham and Harwich students.

 Real estate and open space chair David Callaghan told the committee on Friday that he has been going over the properties in town that might be suitable for a new school, looking at sites that are seven to 10 acres in size. Callaghan said he has identified 130 parcels of that size, but some of them are conservation lands.

Callaghan said the request to begin looking at sites for a new elementary school came from select board member Mark Kelleher at the committee’s June meeting. Kelleher is the select board’s liaison to the committee.

 “The [Monomoy Regional District] school superintendent has brought up to us how plummeting enrollment in the elementary school in Chatham, especially, may bring to the floor a need for a new elementary school,” Kelleher said at that session. “One school to serve both communities. I only bring that up just so you can think of a potential property that may be situated between the two towns.

 “It’s not an imminent thing,” he added. “The cost of new construction is so bad. It’s something to think of keeping in your periscope…it is going to be an issue with really plummeting elementary school rates. We may need one school to serve both towns and geographical location is very important.”

 “Is Chatham also sitting somewhere talking about this and looking for a property on their side of the line?” a committee member asked.

Town Administrator Jay McGrail, who serves on the newly formed Monomoy Regional assessment formula working group, said there was some discussion at the working group meeting the previous night about declining school populations and how kindergarten through grade 4 school choice numbers have declined between 2016 and 2026. The working group includes officials from both towns as well as the school district and is chiefly concerned with the regional agreement funding formula.

Callaghan floated four potential school sites he came across in an initial review. He said there is a lot of competition for the parcels from developers. 

 “The development pressures on all these parcels are going to be strong,” he said. “In 10 years, they'll be gone.” 

A parcel east of the Town Forest off Depot Street in East Harwich was identified by Callaghan. The property, he said, sits along the town line with Chatham and is adjacent to the sand pit on the T.W. Nickerson property. Access would likely be off Mill Hill Road in Chatham. The land is adjacent to Harwich conservation land, with town water department wells located to the south. He also said there is a proposed solar farm at the location. The town forest is a property under the select board’s control.

 “I didn’t think this was a great parcel,” Callaghan said. 

 Member Kathy Green said the location was too tucked away for a public institution. She raised questions about water quality impacts with wells in both towns nearby.

Callaghan also cited a large parcel to the east side of Cape Cod Regional Technical High School off Oak Street, across from a Habitat for Humanity development. The property, not presently being assessed, could be difficult to access, according to Callaghan. 

 The third location is the Cuddy sandpit to the west side of Route 137, northwest of the Routes 39/137 intersection in East Harwich. Committee members liked that location because trees would not have to be cut down. It was suggested that discussions should begin with the Cuddy family before development plans are put forward for property.

 A fourth parcel is located along Oak Street adjacent to Monomoy Regional High School. Callaghan said the property is presently held by the school department. He expressed concern for additional bus traffic it would create on Oak Street. It was suggested that if Chatham students attend the school, buses could come along Queen Anne Road reducing pressures along Oak Street coming for Harwich Center.

Green suggested 204 Sisson Rd., the Cultural Arts Municipal Building, should be examined.

While there were discussions about students from both communities attending such a school, it could also be a site for future use for Harwich, if necessary.

It was clear such a school would be several years out. The committee agreed to establish a working group to run a fine comb through all of the suitably sized parcels that could be available for such a project. The findings would be turned over to the select board for a final decision.