Groton Officials Tour Mystic Education Center

Groton Town Officials toured the Mystic Education Center Friday with the state Commissioner of Administrative Services, to learn more about the campus slated for closure and the state of its buildings.

The state notified Groton on Aug. 1 that the campus would be shut in 60 days to save money, although this time may be extended.  One company on the property, Alion, has asked to extend its lease through the end of November, which may allow Groton to use the facility longer.

Most of the discussion about the pending closure has focused on the Pratt Building, which houses a swimming pool kept at 90 degrees for recreation and therapy classes.

Closing the warm water pool would end Groton’s aquatics class for elderly residents and force other agencies that use it to look elsewhere. Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, the Department of Developmental Services and the Lighthouse Voc-Ed Center, a special education program for students ages 7 to 21, also use the facility.

Commissioner Donald DeFronzo said the state would consider a request from Groton to extend its use of the pool, but indicated this was not a long-term plan.

“We will look at those and if we can accommodate a specific request we will try to do that,” he said, but added that the department is under pressure to save money. Closing the Mystic Education Center would save state taxpayers $200,000 this year and $400,000 in later years, according to a letter from the state.

The town has the right of first refusal to buy the Mystic Education Center, but this applies to the property as a whole, said Shane Mallory, administrator of leasing and property transfer for the state department of administrative services. He said he does not believe the state would offer Groton just a portion such as the Pratt building.

He said the state would likely give the town the option to aquire the land in full, and if it declined, would market it to developers. If that didn't work, the state could consider parceling it off, he said.

Mallory said the Pratt building is the most expensive of the Mystic Education Center buildings to maintain, although he did not have specific figures. The state expects to have the property appraised in the next 60 to 90 days, he said.

DeFronzo is expected to meet with Groton officials, including Mayor James Streeter and Town Manager Mark Oefinger in September.

The Mystic Education Center covers 47.7 acres on Oral School Road, with most of the land on the east side.  The property has five buildings constructed between 1928 and 1974, including one sprawling building with many wings.

Oefinger said Groton has been trying for at least 30 years to become involved in a future plan for the site.

“The town’s going to end up having to live with this lack of a specific plan for the next 5, 10, 15 years,” he said.

DeFronzo said no developers have approached the state about the site and the state has no preconceived ideas about its future.

“It’s a painfully long process from the state’s perspective, but that may work to the town’s advantage,” DeFronzo told town officials.

Mayor Streeter said even if the town council decides it wants to acquire part or all of property, voters would have to approve this.

“It’s quite a venture that we’re going to be looking at,” he said. “This is just the first step.”