Above Photos taken from our vehicle. Below photos taken by Judy Mack.
Mayor Takes Action – School of Weeds to be Saved from Overgrowth
The current overgrowth at GES will be soon be mowed to be City compliant, states Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson who had an in-person meeting with Superintendent Pellegrino on the matter Friday August 30, 2024. After required Fire and Building Department inspections are completed with the maintenance people, the goal is to get them up there and get it all mowed. Nicholson stated, “ I hate how it looks.:” Mayor Nicholson spoke with the Superintendent about the necessity of getting it mowed for the safety of the people.
On Monday of this week, Councilor Judy Mack contacted the Superintendent regarding the matter stating the following: “Do you remember the excitement of your first day of school? Or that of your children? The new outfit and taking pictures as they walk into school? As I drove around the schools on Saturday I thought of the impression that a child or student would be entering the Gardner Elementary School for the first day on September 3. Then I was totally appalled by the outside condition of the beautiful school we have built. Many citizens have voiced their concerns about the conditions of the grounds to me. The outside is beyond overgrown with weeds and is a disgrace. This has nothing to do with nature, it is an embarrassment to what was built as a multi-million dollar state of the art school at the taxpayer expense. It was sold by the architects as “school in the woods” but it has become in a short period of time as “a school in the weeds”. There is nothing attractive or appealing when your drive up and the lack of ground maintenance is nothing short of embarrassing. Not to mention these overgrown weeds harbors insects and rodents that not only violate state code (see attachment) but are dangerous to children playing outside, especially those with allergies. The road down to Pearl Street is no better and as I have pointed out previously the area in front of the school sign is just overgrown weeds. The school has a grounds crew capable of maintaining the facilities. Then as I drove in front of the high school, the high school principal and her husband were trimming overgrown bushes and cutting back things to make the front of the building look presentable for the beginning of the school year. This is one person going above and beyond to make sure her school looks presentable but this isn’t her responsibility.”
Mack continued, “We as a city are sometimes penny wise and pound foolish. If we spend millions of dollars of taxpayers money, those in charge elected and appointed have the obligation to not only maintain the daily ongoing of the buildings inside but maintain the outside and that is not being done. This isn’t a choice, it is a requirement, and an expectation that is placed on taxpayers money being invested in any and all city funded building projects. What we build, we must maintain. The citizens and most certainly a city councilor shouldn’t have to bring this to your attention and this isn’t my first time mentioning the conditions outside of GES. As one with more than the average knowledge of perennials, it is to a point it will cost more money as it is so overgrown with weeds the average person won’t know what is a plant and what isn’t. Weeds choke out the plants you want. Money spent on the initial landscaping is now wasted with the lack of upkeep. First impressions are important. A picture is not only worth a thousand words, it’s worth thousands of dollars.”
Superintendent Pellegrino had responded that nothing would be done about the issue: “Thanks for voicing your concern about the grounds. First, I want to say that I do not like the look of those areas either. However, the areas you pointed out are what’s called “Spring Meadow Mix.” It is part of the landscape architect’s design. Pictures of this mix are beautiful, but we are in the first year of this. So where there are weeds, it is the “meadow mix,” which is not supposed to be mowed until October. Mowing it will help kill the weeds (according to the architect), and help the other plants bloom.
Pellegrino continued, “While many have voiced that they do not like the look (including me), we are following the prescribed maintenance procedures. I just want to be clear that this is not lack care for the grounds, and your concerns are shared by others, (we have had several discussions here at central regarding what to do about the look of the landscaping). We are not going to re-do the landscaping at this point, but we agree that it looks off-putting. However, I have CC’s Mark Hawke on this email, as he can explain why this looks the way it does, what the maintenance procedures are, and what our plan is going forward.”
Publisher’s Note: Councilor Mack included with her email various photos of the conditions and a reminder that grass or weeds that are 12 inches or taller are a violation of MA State Health code because it is a harborage for rats, mice, insects, and ticks. It also conceals trash, debris, pools of stagnant water, and other items that can be injury hazards. It is also a violation of Gardner City Code. It is our prediction that this nonsense will not be repeated in future years. We took photos from our vehicle. Judy Mack’s photos show the danger extending right up to the school building.