Wenham Finance Committee Votes to Seek School Capital Split If June Vote Fails

WENHAM -- May 14, 2025, Wenham Finance Committee votes to pursue school capital separation if June consolidation vote fails. The committee voted 4-0 with one abstention Wednesday night to recommend the Select Board negotiate a separation of capital responsibility for separate elementary school facilities if the proposed $142 million consolidated school project again fails at the June 9 Special Town Meeting, with Chair Finn arguing Wenham residents should not bear an estimated $220 million to $428 million renovation cost for Cutler and Winthrop schools that serve roughly as many Hamilton students as Wenham students. The committee also received an early-stage financial model showing the proposed 365-unit MBTA 3A multifamily overlay, 73 units near the commuter rail station, 292 at Boulder Lane, would generate no more than 0.31 students per unit under all three data sources reviewed. Special municipal counsel Ben Tallerman updated the committee on a consolidated superior court lawsuit in which Wenham and roughly 10 other towns are challenging 3A as an unfunded mandate, telling the committee he expects Judge Gilday to rule within two weeks on whether to extend the July 14 compliance deadline, with Wenham's case centered on the argument that the state's formula imposes a 25 percent unit requirement on both Wenham and Hamilton despite the two towns sharing a single commuter rail station.