Center, North Schools Sold for $2 Million to Create 56 Affordable Units

The town has sold the long-vacant Center and North Schools to Causeway Development for $2 million, clearing the way for 56 affordable housing units in the Art Deco era buildings, Town Manager Michael Maresco announced in the town's summer newsletter.

TOWN HALL

Through a request-for-proposals process, the town has agreed to sell the closed Center and North Schools to Causeway Development, a Hanover-based firm, which plans to create 56 affordable units combined across the two buildings. The project is expected to generate roughly $350,000 to $400,000 in annual tax revenue and will draw on federal and state historic preservation grants and MBTA funding. Both schools were built through the Depression-era Works Progress Administration and Causeway intends to apply for funding to preserve their Art Deco exteriors and mosaic tile work, including detailing around the schools' water fountains.

The Abington Rockland Joint Water Works remains under a Level 4 Water Use Restriction, with no irrigation permitted, as drought conditions have left local reservoirs extremely low. Residents can report irrigation use to ARJWW's main office at 781-878-0901. Separately, the joint water works said its permanent PFAS treatment system at the Hannigan Water Treatment Plant, online since March 4, continues reducing PFAS6 levels to non-detect, well under the state's 20 parts-per-trillion limit.

Construction on the new DPW and Fire Department headquarters on Central Street is progressing, with the building now watertight and exterior brick installation underway. Interior systems are being installed, and a generator and fuel tanks funded through an E911 grant, completed by Holbrook Regional Communications Center on the department's behalf, are now in place. The fire headquarters is expected to be ready for occupancy in spring 2027. In the newsletter, Maresco also praised the police and fire departments for what he described as a professional, skilled response to a recent tragedy in the community, without providing further detail.

COMMUNITY & ARTS

Green Street Park has reopened following a revitalization funded with $60,000 in Community Preservation Act dollars, replacing its 30-year-old playground with new climbing, slide and swing features. A new community garden opened at the park this summer, one of two selected by residents through a survey, with a companion garden built at Lincoln Boulevard through the state's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. Local artist Adam O'Day designed and began painting an original mural on-site at Green Street Park as part of the project, a story the town's News Flash also covered today.

Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.