WinCAM to Possibly Move into Winchester's Carriage House

Located along High Street, adjacent to the , the has been a part of Winchester for over a century.

The structure, which is controlled by the School Department, was boarded up a few years ago as a new Ambrose school was being built. Since then, the house has remained next to Ambrose, untouched.

Over the past few months, the School Committee has discussed what to do with the house.

“The carriage house is in disrepair,” said School Committee chair, Chris Linskey. “The interior is in really poor shape. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, related to mold, and there’s no educational use for the facility.”

Previously, the School Committee had discussed the possibility of excessing the house to the town, but they have held off on a decision until the high school feasibility study. The study is expected to be completed in two years.

“It’s a building space in a district that grows and needs space,” Linskey said. “The cost to renovate the structure would be substantial.”

According to Linskey, the committee is concerned for the safety of the students. The structure is unsafe, but converting the structure to more teaching space wouldn’t be that great of a benefit.

“The building is a safety concern,” Linskey said. “If accessed by a student it poses a definite danger. And the net classroom space that would be yielded from the house would be limited.”

While there is no formal plan to do anything with the house, Linskey said that WinCam has been looking at purchasing the property, renovating it and making it their new studio.

“We’re looking at excessing the building back to the town,” Linskey said. "The schools can’t afford to maintain the building and we’re not going to make any decision [on the house] until the feasibility study is understood.”

But Selectman Roger Berman wants the committee to excess the building soon, instead of waiting.

“There’s no educational purpose and there’s no funds to maintain it,” Berman said. “Why hold onto it? The schools have no use for this building. It’s an orphan, and other people in town have ideas.”

According to Linskey, the school committee has been reluctant to excess the building to the town because they are concerned about the safety of the children.

Linskey said that since the carriage house is located next to Ambrose, the committee has to consider the amount of traffic that a new tenant may bring in or the construction vehicles and workers that would need to come on school property.

However, Berman disagreed with the safety issue.

“It’s time to put a stake through the heart of that argument,” he said. “Buildings are built where children go to school all the time. There’s a way to do this safely.”

However, Superintendent William McAlduff told the Board of Selectmen that the school committee’s concern is more directed as to what goes into the house and the ability for student’s to access the building.

“The safety issued is related to the access to the site based on whatever comes to the building,” McAlduff said. “The fact remains that the only access to the property is from the Ambrose School and that’s a huge concern for us.”

But Berman said that the time has come for the School Committee to make a decision on the building.

“The building is where the building is,” Berman said. “Children can access it now. It’s time we talk about its future use. You don’t have the money, capital doesn’t have the money, it’s time to move on this.”

The School Committee will continue discussing its options for the propert and report back to the board at a later date.