Iconic school’s future being planned

Stonington committee mulls strategy for West Broad Street School

Stonington — While the town takes steps to secure and maintain the closed West Broad Street school, a committee has begun work to develop recommendations about what to do with the 120-year-old building.

At Wednesday night’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Director of Public Works Barbara McKrell outlined the steps her department will take to protect the building once it transfers from the control of the Board of Education to the town on May 31.

McKrell said the property will be fenced off to prevent cars and pedestrians from accessing it while allowing town employees, police officers and firefighters into the building and on the property when needed. No fencing will be placed along Route 1 in order to not impact the view of the building’s historic facade.

McKrell said the building will be checked daily to ensure no one has been inside, and there are no broken windows, graffiti or vandalism. In addition, police will make visits to the building each shift. Plans are underway to set up a neighborhood watch.

All exterior locks will be replaced and McKrell encouraged anyone who sees suspicious activity on the property to call police.

Town crews will cut the grass and maintain the landscaping and make sure building systems, such as fire alarms, sprinklers and the heating system, are operating properly. While the boiler is now off due to the higher temperatures, McKrell said the town will soon have a contractor inspect the heating system and then will sign a contract this fall for main

tenance of the boiler and heating system.

The playground will remain open to the public and hours will be posted.

Plans call for the basketball hoops to be removed from the paved area but neighborhood resident Sue Jones encouraged the town to keep the hoops in place for children to use.

Paul Sartor, chairman of the town’s Facilities Committee, said his group already has had three open houses at the school that attracted 100 residents. He said they shared their memories of the school, what they would now like to see happen with the building and what they don’t want to see there.

Sartor said the committee is collecting information about the building and determining what it can be used for under current zoning regulations. He stressed the committee will not be making any decisions about the building’s future but only forwarding recommendations to the Board of Selectmen. He said he hopes to have the report to First Selectman Rob Simmons in three to six months.

Simmons pointed out that the school cannot be sold without the approval of voters at a town meeting.

“This school is an icon for the community and asset for this town,” Simmons said.

St. Michael School also has shown an interest in the building and Sartor said the church’s pastor, the Rev. Dennis Perkins, has toured the school and the committee plans to meet with him.

The Facilities Committee, which also will make recommendations about the future of the School Administration Building in Old Mystic, meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Human Services Building.