Pope John High School – Everett Leader Herald

Pope John property to be veterans housing

The former Pope John School property in North Everett is now scheduled to become veterans housing.

There is no doubt about the need for Veterans housing, so the Pope John facility’s conversion is the right thing to do for the men and women who have given themselves to our nation.

Those of us who have never served in the armed forces cannot imagine what it is like to sign your life away to the United States of America and to be sent to war, to be wounded, to die, or to come home seeking to better yourself in your life only to find no housing.

Council approves mayor’s request to borrow $10.5 million for PJ High

By Josh Resnek

The city council approved the mayor’s $10.5 million request to apparently purchase the empty Pope John High School property and to ultimately build a combination of veterans and elderly housing on it during the final meeting of the year last Monday.

The motion passed unanimously but not without the mayor delivering stern admonitions to those who questioned his request.

This included Councilor Fred Capone, whom the mayor called a liar because Capone questioned the mayor’s purchase of Pope John without any research or paperwork whatsoever.

He belittled Councilor Mike Marchese and derided him for suggesting that the Pope John property be used as a public school because, Marchese pointed out, the public schools are overcrowded and insisted the city needs another new school.

Councilor Mike McLaughlin, who the mayor also lambasted, made similar suggestions that the mayor and the city explore the options.

The mayor tried to make the case that these three are against elderly and veterans housing in an effort to discredit them and their intentions.

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$10.5 million borrowing for Pope John Acquisition?

By Josh Resnek

The City of Everett wants to pay $10.5 million to the Archdiocese of Boston to purchase the empty Pope John school campus in North Everett.

The mayor, and several others in city government are looking to remake the campus into apartment housing for the elderly and for veterans, according to public statements made during the past few weeks in city hall and development circles.

“I believe the campus should be used for the purpose it was built,” Councilor at Large Mike Marchese told the Leader Herald.

“With our public schools overcrowded and nowhere to place classrooms full of new students we should use the Pope John site as a public school,” he added.

In recent years the need for elderly and veterans housing has produced very little tangible relief in what is considered a housing shortage.

Continue reading $10.5 million borrowing for Pope John Acquisition?

Pope John Property as Veterans and Elderly Housing?

On its face, this is a good idea by the city to add to our stock of elderly and veterans housing units while at the same time giving a new use to what had been a Catholic School with a long history.

Far better would be to attract private capital to rehab the place into a gleaming new residential property that offers mixed rent housing based on income so that taxes are paid and the property does not become a liability to the city.

The location of the former Pope John property is ideal for a mixed use type of development without overrunning the neighborhood with dense development and added traffic.

Continue reading Pope John Property as Veterans and Elderly Housing?

Pope John XXIII redux

Since the news broke about the possible closure of Pope John XXIII, alumni, teachers, administrators and parents have raised almost $40,000 in an online fundraising effort.

This is a remarkable sum of money to raise in a week but far short of the $500,000 that must be raised to satisfy the Archdiocese.

School officials have remained mum about the door remaining open for another year, or for a future marked by better organization and vision.

Continue reading Pope John XXIII redux