BRA Public Meeting on P-12 Boston Arts Academy Proposal

July 24, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

Kairos Shen, Chief Planner for Boston Redevelopment Authority

The Boston Redevelopment Authority hosted a meeting in Chinatown last night to move the Boston Arts Academy to Parcel 12, a site adjacent to the Double Tree Inn and YMCA. The proposed design includes about 220,000 sq/ft on a lot that is roughly 20,000 sq/ft and includes a community library. Shen emphasized in his opening remarks that this is “not a done deal” but is here today to start the conversation with the community. Shen added that the BRA has looked into other sites in the Theater District but did not name any other sites.

Linda Nathan, co-headmaster of the Boston Arts Academy, talked about the history of the school. The academy was founded in 1998 by a pro-arts consortium of 6 colleges including Berkelee College of Music, Emerson College, and Museum of Fine Arts School. The school is currently located in Fenway on Ipswich Street.

Nathan said the school has 435 students with the student population make-up being 48% African American, 30% Latino, 17% White, 3% Asian, 2% Other. Currently, there are no students from Chinatown attending the Academy, but once the school moves in, Nathan said she will work with the admissions director to increase the Asian student enrollment. By locating the school within the Theater District, this will allow the school close proximity to Emerson College, the nearby theaters,  and easy access to public transportation.

The school received a $400,000 grant from the City to conduct a feasibility study on relocating the school. The estimated financial cost of building the school is estimated to be $100 million which will be funded through a combination of private and public grants. The academy has raised $7 million so far. Scott Butler, architect for the academy, described the layout of the proposed design. The school has been working on this “design for a year now.” The design would allow the school to expand its current facilities and allow for the creation of a theater and stage.

Scott Butler, Architect, for Boston Arts Academy.

Michael Boll(?) from the Boston Public School Operations was invited to attend and talk about the current status of the Josiah Quincy Upper School, which needs funds to finish renovations. BPS explained the process of how funds are allocated for school renovations. Each year a list of schools are submitted for funding and unfortunately the Quincy Upper School was not awarded any funds. He also talked about the complications of finding “swing space” in order to renovate the Josiah Quincy Upper School. Swing space is a temporary space used by the BPS to relocate the students during construction. The Upper School has 660 students. The nearby Quincy Elementary School has 826 students. Combined with the future Arts Academy there will be a total of about 1921 students between Washington and Tremont Street.

(Note: Thirteen million dollars are being held in escrow by the BRA for the Josiah Quincy Upper School renovations but is entangled in the mire called Hayward Place.)

Some notes about the meeting:

1. The Boston Arts Academy has a good mission and purpose to promote arts. The academy has a need for a larger space because it shares its facilities with the Fenway School.

2. Building another school in Chinatown is not a priority for the community, especially when the Josiah Quincy Upper School question is still not solved. (How would neighborhood parents feel: Their children going to a school that is lacking money from the City to renovate the facilities while the City puts up money for a brand new $100 million school next door? Are you kidding me?)

3. Placing the academy in Chinatown seems more of a desire by the City, BRA, Emerson College and the academy than from the community. Also, the Academy does not have a strong relationship with the Asian American community as evidenced by the low-enrollment rate, but to the school’s credit headmaster Nathan promises to work towards increasing Asian student enrollment.

4. BRA is holding $13 million in escrow from the sale of Hayward Place on Washington Street. The $13 million was intended to help with renovating the Josiah Quincy Upper School. Why not transfer Hayward Place from Millennium Partners, who is not doing anything with the site anyways, to the Boston Arts Academy?

5. Logistical challenges to integrating the library needs to be addressed further. For example: how to ensure the safety of students that shares a building where adults will utilize the library?

6. If the Academy really intends to share their theater/performance stage with the community, this could help other Chinatown groups that need the space to perform.

7. Despite Kairos Shen saying this is “not a done deal”, one gets the feeling that by the time the community meetings are held, the deal is already done? State Senator Dianne Wilkerson came out and spoke in support of the Academy and one assumes that Mayor Menino has given the green light. These community meetings may be all just song and dance. Refer to this Boston Globe article on Shen.

Posted in WORD ON THE STREET | Print | 7 Comments »