By Onyeamaechi Onyenwe
Lowell, MA- No more Dunkins. No more Boot Mills. No more walking downtown because Lowell High School (LHS) may be moving. Or it may remain in its present location.
But there’s one advocate in the administration who wants it to stay for sure.
“Keep it where it is,” said Mr. Martin, the LHS Headmaster, about the plan for a new building.
That may be good news for students who drop by for coffee runs and after school downtown time.
“Inter-core neighborhoods, education should involve an urban experience,” he said of the school founded in downtown Lowell in 1831.
LHS students have been part of the downtown for over 150 years, first in a small building on Middlesex Street and later at its present location on Morrissette Boulevard.
In more recent times Mr. Martin has seen a lot of buildings rebuilt, a lot of new buildings developed and a lot of related decisions made by the City Council and School Committee.
The addition of the 1980 building of the school was one of those decisions he followed prior to becoming a City Councilor in 1981 and later the youngest Mayor of the City at age 32.
“I’ve been around a long time,” said Mr. Martin, who has been headmaster for two years but has been part of the Lowell political landscape for over 30 plus years.
Approximately 30 percent of the student body currently is able to walk to school in its downtown location, according to Mr. Martin, who also served as City Manager in the 1990s.
Since a lot of students walk to school due to its proximity, they have already built connections to the school and other institutions around downtown such as University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), Boys & Girls Club and the Middlesex Community College, according to Martin.
A new building, where ever it’s located would bring a totally different atmosphere for the student body.
“100% modern space,” Mr. Martin said of the new plan.
He explained that there would be bigger classrooms, bathrooms and a larger cafeteria.
A new high school could still be moved out of its present location to a land area with more room for construction and further development.
If the LHS building moves there will be “more land for outdoor activities,” said Mr. Martin.
Since the Riddick Field House offers just a gym and a pool, moving the building would likely expand these facilities.
“There would also be a 100% environmentally green building,” said Mr. Martin. “One with heat and air conditioning.”
At this point the potential relocation sites are merely proposals and no place can be designated until the current feasibility study https://lhsdigitalnewspaper.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/future-of-lhs-renovate-or-relocate/ is completed by the State, he added.
Sites being discussed about which students may have heard include Cawley Stadium off Route 38 or South Common across from the Gallagher Transportation Terminal.
“There’s [also] a farm near Old Ferry Road down in Pawtucketville, there’s been talk that it could go down there,” said Mr. Martin about other possible locations.
If a building is constructed in a different location, the current building may be used for other purposes.
The School Committee could put proposals out for reuse to turn the building into an apartment building for example, explained Mr. Martin.
“Everyday, there are more people moving to Lowell and they need more space to live,” said Mr. Martin.
Recent rumors suggest UML, which is expanding enrollment in recent years, may be interested in the building.
The City Council is the only entity to control the future use of the school building, he added.
Transportation may also be significantly impacted by plans to move the school from the downtown location, according to Mr. Martin.
“Lowell High is LRTA’s biggest customer so if LHS moves we don’t just lose our connections but our transportation,” he said.
Transportation costs are an important aspect of these decisions both for City tax payers and needy families, according to Mr. Martin who also sees the central location as an issue of equity for students.
Mr. Martin graduated from LHS in 1969 and also served as the Athletic Director from 2005-2007.
