Groton Town Council Denies Fire District Request for Noank School

The Groton Town Council on Tuesday effectively killed a proposal by the Noank Fire District to seek state grants to refurbish and reuse a portion of the former Noank School.

The Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 7-1, with Councilor Dean Antipas against, not to go forward with a memorandum of understanding that would have allowed the fire district to seek state grants to pay for the repairs.

Councilors said they were concerned about the financing plan, the potential tax burden on homeowners living in the fire district and opposition to the plan. Mayor Heather Somers said she received a petition last week with 120 signatures asking the council not to allow the fire district to proceed.

Members of the fire district expressed disappointment after the meeting.

Paul Bates, a former member of the Noank School Reuse Task Force, said councilors questioned whether the district had viable financing but didn’t give it the opportunity to try to get it.

“They just pulled the rug right out from under us,” he said.

“I hope whatever they decide to do with that property is in the best interests of the town and not just people who want to develop the property for personal gain,” Fire District Member Katherine Rathbun said.

Somers said that during a discussion, which took place in executive session, the consensus was to leave the property as open space. There was no talk about selling it, she said. The council would decide in the future what would happen to the school building.

The asking for a "memorandum of understanding" granting the district permission to use the building so it could seek grant money to fix it. The district wanted to repair the brickwork, paint the outside metal and wood trim, replace broken or missing windows and cover the roof, which is leaking.

It estimated the cost at $300,000 to $450,000, and said that if it were unable to get funding, it would petition fire district taxpayers and ask if they wanted to accept a higher tax rate to pay for the improvements.

But Wes Greenleaf, the former facilities director for Groton Public Schools, said recently he believed it would cost $3 million to $4 million to properly rehabilitate the school, not the amount the fire district believed.