Over the course of nearly a decade from 2007 to 2015, Worcester Academy assembled three parcels of land from the former St. Vincents Hospital site with the dream of expanding their campus.  During that time, they developed Morse Field, a premium turf field for athletics, adjacent to the shuttered hospital. The crowning project, construction of an expansive new athletic center, proved more challenging and was stalled for years.

In 2021, Worcester Academy had strong donor interest in supporting a new athletic center and performance campus. However, the Board and donors had concerns about moving forward after years of inertia and stalled attempts on the project. Stanmar was given the opportunity to work with the Academy’s leadership team to identify the right program, siting, and design for a new athletic facility to anchor the hoped for “Performance Campus”. Stanmar’s elegant design created a new, prominent presence for the Academy on Union Hill within the target budget. With the Academy’s approval, final design was completed, with each aspect of the design rigorously vetted to ensure the project’s objectives were maintained.

During the planning stages of the project, Stanmar encountered a major hurdle related to the project budget and timeline. Stanmar determined that site grading and building construction would result in over 15,000 cubic yards of excess soil. The site was formerly designated as a“BUD” site, which meant that under the watch of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), demolition debris had been buried there. Additionally, the site is located in what geologists call the “Arsenic Belt” – soils in this zone have naturally occurring high levels of arsenic.  It was determined that the cost to export these materials would jeopardize the project’s viability.  .

Stanmar developed a plan to divert the bulk of this excess soil to an Academy owned, adjacent parking lot in poor condition.  Raising the grades and leveling the lot, significantly improved its appearance and functionality. Stanmar nimbly coordinated a team to work in parallel through design, permits, city approval, and DEP approval, all of which were accomplished in under three months. As a result, Worcester Academy saved millions of dollars by shipping the excess soil across the street to the parking lot rather than out of state. Additionally, this enabled Stanmar to begin construction of the new athletic facility as scheduled in Fall 2023, preserving the project budget and momentum.

As a result of diligent planning, creative problem solving and an organized construction process and schedule, WA is on pace to open its new Athletic Facility on time and on budget in September 2025.