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Proposal seeks
to turn Fernald into historic site
(July
2006 Issue)
By Pamela Berard
Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy of Waltham, Mass., has asked Gov. Mitt
Romney for assistance in transforming the Fernald Development Center
into a National Historic Park and Site to honor the mentally handicapped.
In a letter dated April 18 and also sent to President George W.
Bush, state Department of Mental Retardation Commissioner Gerald
J. Morrissey Jr., Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry and others,
she wrote, "A rededicated Fernald Center will pay tribute to mentally
handicapped people throughout the country, promote an understanding
of and a commitment to addressing their issues and serve as a testament
to what our nation can and should do for one of its most vulnerable
populations."
The Waltham, Mass., site would also continue to provide some housing
for current residents, a national cemetery and park.
Romney's administration has been trying to close the 190-acre facility
and some residents were transferred to other state institutions
or community settings. But U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro ordered
the state to halt the transfers earlier this year and appointed
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan to review whether the state Department
of Mental Retardation had violated the rights of the residents who
were transferred since 2003. That review remains ongoing, according
to Dick Powers, spokesman for the Department of Mental Retardation.
In regards to McCarthy's request, Powers says, "We have made a policy
decision to close Fernald and would not support any plan that runs
counter to that."
McCarthy's letter was not addressed to the National Park Service,
which is the U.S. Department of the Interior agency responsible
for screening proposals for new park units. A new national park
area must meet criteria for national significance, suitability and
feasibility, according to information provided by Phil Sheridan,
assistant regional director for communications, National Park Service
Northeast Region.
McCarthy's letter to the governor asserted that the Fernald School
has a unique place in history as the "oldest publicly funded institution
serving the mentally disabled in the Western Hemisphere."
Marilyn Meagher, Fernald League president, says she would love
to see a state-of-the-art facility for the mental handicapped located
on a part of the property.
"There will always be a need for an intermediate care facility
that can provide the care and services to some of the most severely
handicapped people that cannot be serviced in their family homes,"
Meagher says. "If this were to become a reality, it could take away
the stigma of what some institutions are thought to be and a wonderful
way to honor the past and present residents that have lived and
died on that land since 1888. I think the (mayor's) plan is wonderful,
but I also do not believe that the Department of Mental Retardation
will support this. The property sits on over 150 acres of beautiful
prime property. I would like to see some of the land saved and developed
for the benefit of the mentally handicapped that need these kinds
of residences. "I would have to hear more on this subject from the
mayor as far as her seriousness of making this a reality in the
future," Meagher adds.
Colleen Lutkevich, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition
of Families and Advocates for the Retarded Inc. (COFAR), says she
also supports the plan because it allows the residents to remain
in the homes they have lived in for so long.
"That is always our primary motivation - to respect the rights
of these elderly residents," she says.
McCarthy also indicated in recent published reports that she may
seek to put a municipal golf course on the campus, setting aside
some land for a facility to house current residents. She says the
plans for the national park and the golf course are not mutually
exclusive.
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