By Cate Lecuyer
Staff writer
May 09, 2008 05:44 am BEVERLY — The Jordan Street neighborhood won a big one last night. The athletic stadium for the new high school will now be built between the track and the field house, parallel to the North Beverly Brook, after Jordan Street residents objected to putting it about 120 feet from their homes. Mount Vernon Architects originally proposed placing the stadium in the back of the high school, along Jordan Street, but reworked the design after a qualified resident submitted his own blueprints that showed it by the track. "We had to do a lot of juggling around, but it does work," said Ben Gary, site planner for Mount Vernon. Yet Herrick Street residents weren't thrilled about the location. "I understand peoples' concerns who don't want it in their backyard on Jordan Street, but I don't want it in my front yard on Herrick Street," said Sheri Heller, who owns and lives in a multifamily home and rents out the other half. She said she was concerned about being able to rent out a home next to a 4,200-seat stadium, with lights and a loudspeaker, and was afraid it would lower her property value. Similar concerns plagued Jordan Street residents, who were looking into legal action if the city didn't move it. "No matter how we place it there's going to be some impact on neighbors," Superintendent James Hayes said. He said he favored placing it by the track because it was about 500 feet from the nearest house, as opposed to 120 feet. "The big difference I see here is the distance between the buildings and the field," he said. The stadium itself would have aisles along the ground, stairs leading to seating in different sections. A 6-foot fence behind the stands would prevent anybody from trespassing, and trees would be planted from the back of the stands to the brook, to create a buffer for neighbors. The stadium is one of the last phases of the $70 million high school construction project and wouldn't be built until 2010. However, at a resident's request, Gary said he could try to plant the trees earlier so they block out other construction and have time to grow before games start. The two lights at each end of the field would direct the beams downward, and not into homes, Gary said. And while the public announcement system would be used for football games, it wouldn't be turned on for other games throughout the year. The entire project is scheduled to be ready for bids in mid- to late May. "It's not as bad as I thought," Clair Thompson said. She owns a home on Herrick Street that she rents out, but she and her husband are thinking about moving back into it. "We bought it with a high school across from us. We knew that," she said.
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