By Seth Daniel
Bunker Hill Community College’s Chelsea Campus announced Monday that it would relocate from its longtime home in Bellingham Square to expand operations in the Simboli buildings at 70 Everett Ave.
The Phoenix Charter School will occupy the vacated space in the old Post Office building in Bellingham Square, departing from its current site on Nichols Street in Prattville.
January 2017 would mark when the transition becomes official.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, Associate Provost Alice Murillo and Phoenix President Beth Anderson unveiled the plan after consulting with councillors and City officials.
“We find ourselves in a need to expand,” she said. “For that to happen, we need more space and we need space where we can have modern labs. We will now be occupying the entire fourth floor and part of the third floor at one of the buildings on Everett Avenue. We will also have the potential of expanding in the future by leasing more space as it becomes available. We do not want this to be just overflow for the Charlestown campus. This would be dedicated to specific programming and students could spend their entire time at Chelsea.”
Over the past two years, Bunker Hill President Pam Eddinger had raised concerns about public safety and conditions at the Bellingham Square campus, particularly affecting evening students.
According to a spokesperson, the relocation was not motivated by those earlier concerns regarding the bus stop and building conditions. The driving force behind the move was the opportunity to expand the campus.
The Everett Avenue location, formerly occupied by Everest College, already possesses infrastructure suitable for educational purposes. While the Chelsea campus would maintain its Allied Health offerings, Murillo indicated plans to convert some certificate programs into Associates Degree programs. The expanded curriculum would emphasize business, criminal justice, and early childhood education.
For four decades, Bunker Hill has maintained a presence in Chelsea across multiple sites. This represents the fourth location, following the old Chelsea High School (now Clark Avenue Middle School), the Commandant’s House at the Soldiers’ Home, and the renovated Post Office building where they moved in 1998.
City Manager Tom Ambrosino acknowledged the news was not ideal, though he recognized the rationale.
“I’m sorry to see them leaving Bellingham Square, but it’s good for the students that they’re staying in Chelsea,” he said.
Bunker Hill committed to sustaining operations at the Post Office facility for evening classes and additional programming, while maintaining the partnership lab shared with Phoenix Charter School.
The second component of the announcement involves Phoenix’s departure from its Prattville site for a downtown location.
“We are seriously thrilled that the next iteration of our lives will be made in the existing Bunker Hill campus in Chelsea,” said Anderson.
Anderson emphasized that Phoenix’s mission centers on preparing students who have struggled in traditional school environments for college through an innovative partnership with BHCC.
“It has been reported that in 2020, 75 percent of jobs will require some college training,” she said. “Our students have gotten off track and we want to bring them back on track. I can think of no better way than to partner with an institution like Bunker Hill.”
Phoenix would commence renovations at the BHCC Chelsea building in January 2017, with occupancy anticipated for July 2017. The organization has operated on Nichols Street since 2006.
The collaboration between BHCC and Phoenix Charter received recognition on Nov. 15 when MassINC awarded them a Gateway Cities Innovation Award.
They were among only three recipients statewide recognized for educational innovation.
Data from the Chelsea campus demonstrated that Chelsea residents comprised the largest student population with 226 students. Dorchester followed with 159 students, Revere with 120, and Everett with 99 students attending the Chelsea campus.