Fairhaven Residents Sound Off On The Rogers School’s Future

Fairhaven residents packed into the town hall auditorium Tuesday night to talk about the Rogers School.

A number of town officials along with members of the consulting firm hired to analyze the property, Kirk and Company, took suggestions from the crowd and answered questions. While a few people called for the building to be demolished, the majority of the crowd wanted to maintain the historic structure regardless of it's future use.

Suggestions included converting the building into a theater, housing area, museum, and even a school.

Some people wanted to keep Rogers School for town use such as a school administration building or cable access center. Kirk and Company Real Estate Counselor Brett Pelletier told WBSM News he was surprised at how many people wanted to see it become a municipal building.

"If you're talking about maintaining it purely as a school or a municipal use without any outside revenue sources, then, I mean, that's a big consideration the town is going to have to make if they want to redevelop this themselves," Pelletier said.

Other residents, like Mike Ristuccia, were concerned with the potential effect the new purpose could have on the area. Ristuccia said putting town departments in the building would create too much of a business atmosphere in the neighborhood.

"You're going to have trucks in and out, cars in and out, people coming in and out that are residents to go to those different departments, and I just don't think that's what the neighborhood should have. That neighborhood should be respected as what it is. It's a neighborhood, " Ristuccia said.

Kirk and Company plans to consider all suggestions from the meeting and give their preliminary findings at the next public meeting, which will happen in about four weeks.

The third and final public meeting will happen just before the next Town Meeting, where the consultant group will give their final recommendations for the Rogers School.