Daily Five: The Pending Pfizer Decision, High School Parking and Wage Increases for Teachers

1.  Today is Tuesday, Dec. 4.  The National Weather Service predicts mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature of 57 degrees. The low will fall to 50 tonight, and there’s a 50 percent chance of showers overnight.

2.  A Pfizer spokeswoman said Friday that the company has not decided yet whether to demolish building 118 on the Pfizer campus in Groton.

“At this point no decision has been made about the building, but we do expect one to be made at the end of the year,” spokeswoman Joan Campion said. “We continue to show the site to interested parties and continue to work with local and state parties to actively market the property.”

The Groton Town Council’s Committee of the Whole will meet at 6 p.m. today in the Town Hall Annex and may discuss Pfizer among its topics.

3.  The school board’s policy committee decided Monday night not to consider charging students for parking unless Fitch High School Principal Joseph Arcarese says there’s a parking space problem at the school.

School Board member Patricia Doyle raised the issue because she said residents complain to her that buses travel to the high school nearly empty. She said parking charges at other schools range from $50 to $200 per month.

But Board Vice Chairwoman Elizabeth Gianacoplos said she’d be reluctant to levy another charge on families. She said the district would not save money by charging for parking because bus routes are based on elementary schools, and must continue even if few high school students take the bus.

4.  The Groton Town Council is also expected to discuss the board of education’s negotiated contract with the teachers’ union tonight. According to a memo from Floyd Dugas, lawyer for the school board, the contract would cover the period from Sept. 1, 2013 until Aug. 31, 2012 and provide step wage increases totaling 2.75 percent the first year, 2.5 percent the second year and 2.25 percent the third year.

5.  The Annual Senior Citizen’s Club Holiday Dinner will be held at 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 at the Groton Senior Center. Entertainment will be provided by Racquel Whipple, and menu choices include prime rib or chicken marsala along with a salad, vegetables, rolls, cheese cake and drinks. The cost is $13 for members, $18 for guests and non-members. For more information, call (860) 441-6785.