What’s Up with the Witt School?

“The whole reason I applied for these grants is to not have this building rotting at the top of the hill for all of eternity,” said Amber Wakley Whaley, Stafford’s Director of Grants & Community Development. This was during the September 4, 2025, Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) meeting, but that was only one of the meetings Whaley joined to talk about the future of the Witt School. She was also at the Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting the night before. Why was she making the rounds? Well, change is coming.

Back in 2022, the town was awarded a $650,000 grant to clean up the deteriorating school. Stafford has to add about $130,000 of its own money per the grant requirements. To ensure that money is used wisely, Whaley has been looking for a developer to help with the work. Essentially, a partner with a plan for the space could decide what work needs to be done and what doesn’t, making the clean-up project more targeted.

Now, with two responses to a request for proposal and a deadline looming to get remediation work done, the town is moving forward. To be clear, there is not a single concrete plan for the old school in Hyde Park; however, Whaley described the two potential proposals that are on the table. One includes primarily residential space, and the other focuses on mixed-use. Of course, everyone has a different idea for the best use of that old school. Rich Shuck suggested that the town consider using the building as office space for the town and possibly the schools, a plan that has been tossed around in the past and doesn’t seem entirely off the table. 

As the proposals are refined and the details ironed out, the town is moving forward with the work that needs to be done, regardless of the outcome. With a March deadline for the work looming – though an extension is possible – the grant money is ready to get to work, eliminating things like asbestos and lead paint. 

Cindy Rummel asked if the clean-up could help spur more interest in the building. Whaley hopes it will and said, “Creativity and optimism certainly go a long way.”

But there are many other questions surrounding this property, chief among them is what ownership looks like for a building in a public park. A 100-year lease is on the table, but during the BOS meeting, Whaley made it clear that the park and the much-loved sledding hill are off limits to developers. At the PZC meeting, the bigger issue was the zoning.

Currently, the building is situated in an open space zone, which doesn’t lend itself to housing or commercial uses. However, the nearby neighborhood on Hyde Park Terrace is in Zone B, which allows for multi-unit housing. Additionally, PZC Chair Dave Palmberg pointed out that the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) supports the reuse of old and abandoned buildings. One way or the other, Palmberg assured Whaley, “There is a path to get there.”

Later, during a larger discussion about the POCD, Palmberg pointed out that many of the items that were prioritized in that plan have been addressed, in large part due to Whaley’s work. “It may feel like a glacier to the residents,” Palmberg said, but noted many of the moderate to high priorities are being addressed.