Residents seek help preserving old school

EAST HAMPTON >> A group of residents are urging the town to take steps to assist them in preserving the Middle Haddam School.

They are calling for the town to spend between $2 million to $5 million to renovate the school and put it to use as a municipal facility. But continuing anxiety prompted by the state’s dire financial condition — and a movement underway to construct a new town hall/police headquarters — could limit the town’s ability to take any meaningful action. The two-floor red-brick school, built in the Colonial Revival style, is located at 12 Schoolhouse Lane.

The school was an integral part of the town’s education system from 1930 to 1980, when it was closed due to declining enrollment, according to a history prepared by the Friends of the Middle Haddam School. The building, which sits on some 2.2 acres of land, encompasses nearly 13,000 square feet of usable space.

In 1981, the town “sold the building to a developer” who had

The school was an integral part of the town’s education system from 1930 to 1980, when it was closed due to declining enrollment, according to a history prepared by the Friends of the Middle Haddam School.

“plans to install 10-12 condominium units” in the school, according to the history, which was posted on the Friends Facebook page.

However, the proposal was met with objections from many Middle Haddam residents, who “argued that congregate housing would threaten the historic character of the Village.”

That led to the establishment of the Middle Haddam Association, which “hired an attorney and successfully fought the development plans,” the history continues.

In 2005, another developer bought the building and proposed constructing “an eight-unit active adult senior housing complex.”

The Middle Haddam Association fought that plan as well and then “applied for and was granted 501(c)3 tax status, raised funds and purchased the property,” the history says.

The school is listed on the State Register of Historic Places, “and is one of only four brick structures existing in Middle Haddam today,” the Friends’ history says.

“The school is zoned for use as a school, municipal offices, single family dwelling, a museum or auditorium not operated for profit or as a non-profit community center,” according to the history.

Several members of the MHA and the Friends came before the town council last week in an effort to enlist the town in preserving the school.

“I’m here to make a deal,” MHA President Barbara Angelico said. “The town has a real need for for space,” and the school “has lots of features that could make it beautiful office space.”

Having the town take over the property over could make it “look like it did in its heyday,” Angelico continued.

The adjacent land, which was formerly used as a tennis court, is owned by the town, Angelico noted, “so there is plenty of parking.”

“The building is really extremely sound,” MHA Vice President Theodore Rossi said.

Portions of the roof have deteriorated, Rossi acknowledged. But, overall, “the building is amazingly structurally sound.”

“Inside, it’s structurally sound,” said Margaret McCutcheon Faber, the chairwoman of the Friends.

“It was built like the Taj Mahal,” Faber said.

An ardent preservationist who is a member of the state’s Historic Preservation Council, Faber said “significant funds are available both to do an analysis but also for reconstruction.”

“Rural schools are very rare, so therefore they are valuable,” Faber added.

All that said, Rossi and Angelico warned without intervention by the town, the building may have to be demolished.

Rossi caused a stir in November when he relayed that same message to Town Manager Michael Maniscalco, and Maniscalco then brought it the council’s attention.

“We’ve run the course, and we’re running low on money,” MHA member Chuck Roberts said.

“We’ve cared for it for 11 years,” Angelico said, “but we can’t carry it any longer.”

“It would be a real shame to to have to take this building down,” Angelico said in asking for the school be included in the town’s facilities plan.

“I will be asking councillors for their thought about the Middle Haddam School’s request at a future meeting,” Council Chairwoman Patience R. Anderson said in an email Monday. “It would be best to give the council time to digest the request.”

In the meantime, “As you know, the Town Council’s priority at this time is the Police Station/Town Hall,” Anderson said.

The council last week appointed a nine-member building committee to work with an architect and developer Stephen Motto about constructing a 32,00040,000 square foot municipal complex on land in Motto’s Edgewater Hill mixeduse development.

The town hopes to present residents with a proposal to vote on in early September.

“In the meantime, our focus must be on addressing our most pressing need and that is to build a functional, safe and accessible building for our Police and Town Hall,” Anderson said.