Noank School as a Groton Community Garden

   Noank School as a Groton Community Garden in Connecticut  

The Noank School property is now being actively considered for Groton community use as a public garden coupled with an agricultural learning program for students. A formal presentation/proposal is expected to be made to the Town Council by April 2014 which will include a recommendation that the Town retain continued  ownership of the property and become a partner in the operation itself.  

 An open public meeting and discussion was held at the Groton Public Library at 6:30 PM on January 23rd. This program included a preliminary presentation by three local Groton citizens who have combined their knowledge and resources into forming a non-profit organization for the purpose of administrating the Garden.

 There were approximately 30 Groton citizens present, along with the three organizers, plus Mayor Rita Schmidt plus Town Councilors Heather Somers, Harry Watson and Rich Moravsik. The primary purpose of the meeting was to solicit opinion and suggestions from the public and town representatives, based on the current presentation.  

 Councilor Somers opened the meeting by giving a brief recent history of the property and then introducing Robert Palm, a broadcast network producer, Clint Wright, operator of the Noank Artists Foundry and Tim McDowel, an agricultural instructor at Connecticut College. These three men have a combined experience of over 75 years in gardening. Their primary intentions involve converting the six acres of land back into its original form for agricultural use, adding an educational component for gardening, at the same time creating an attractive, park-like setting for the area...at no cost to the Taxpayers. 

 Using two large posters and a photo presentation, the three men emphasized both the obvious and intangible benefits of such a program. The gardens themselves involve growing sustainable food for local consumption, including vegetables, medicinal plants, herbs, blueberries, hay, plus establishing an apple orchard and bee hives. Related items would include water, veteran's and butterfly gardens with future possibilities of outdoor reading and dining areas. The food itself would be primarily sold locally and profits re-invested back into the non-profit program.

Garden plots would be rented to residents, especially those who live in areas where gardening space at home is restricted or not suitable.   Intangible future benefits would result from the multiple educational program as children are eager for this type of learning. Here, they could interact appropriately with adults rather than staring into their computer screens and video games all day. Volunteer residents could supervise the younger groups.   

 There was active discussion concerning disposition of the existing school building. It was noted that, despite some roof leaks, it will not be in danger of falling down and that some of the structure might be useful for the storage of equipment without the necessity of providing heat. As example, by having a partnership with the Town, which already supports the Beebe Cove and Fitch rowing programs, there could be winter storage and service/repair space for the expensive, fragile rowing shells themselves. Additionally, the south building portion contains an indoor athletic area, stage, bathrooms, offices and a kitchen which could support group activities during the warmer months. 

 In short, there would be no hurry to demolish the building, thus saving the costs necessary to do so, while the garden operation could get started and use the building itself as a resource, especially in the beginning.   The meeting therefore ended on a positive note, solidifying the concept of a partnership with the Town coupled with a non-profit educational status, thus making the operation eligible for both state and federal funds. Again, the concept of the Garden is to create a viable asset to the Town without creating expenses to the taxpayers.

There were many smiling faces when the meeting ended at 8:00 PM.