Sale of PRESCOTT SCHOOL Fraught With Problems [with video]
The town-owned Prescott School on Main Street will soon be vacated by its current tenant, the Groton Dunstable Regional School District, as part of recent budget reductions, depriving the town of $40,000 of rental income and leaving yet another historic building vacant. The disposition of the Prescott School is likely to be fraught with problems for numerous reasons. In addition to its historic significance to the town, it is one of the very few public spaces in the Center of Groton, a place lively with student car washes, sales by various civic organizations a place for informal public parking and summer baseball games in the field behind the school.
Town Manager Mark Haddad is moving ahead with plans to sell the property, advising the Board of Selectmen that he expects two proposals for the Mains Street building. The first attempt for a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the building resulted in no bids. This time, however, Haddad is hopeful that there will be better results.
Prescott School Reuse Committee member Berta Erickson and Finance Committee member Bob Hargraves objected strongly to the sale of the property, preferring to lease the building. Hargraves told the Board, "Once it is gone you can never get it back. Prescott could be leased and still owned by the town. I really believe that you are making a mistake to sell it." He pointed out that other vacant town owned buildings are different in that they could be sold as they are not in the middle of the town's Main Street.
Selectman Josh Degen said he believed that with the development at 134 Main Street and at the Groton Inn site, both located just across the street from the school that this increases the value of Prescott and he wants an appraisal for the building. Haddad said he expects to have results of an appraisal in the next few weeks.
Selectmen Chairman Peter Cunningham pointed out that the article stipulates sell or lease, and that the decision could be made to lease the building.
Approval for the lease or sale of another vacant town-owned buildings - Squannacook Hall - will be back before voters; this time with issues with the Christian Union Church apparently resolved and the plan for renovating the former fire station and meeting hall into four units of rental housing will move forward.
Sale or lease of the old Center Fire Station will also come before voters, following the rejection of a $1000 bid by abutter Steve Webber. This time, Haddad pointed out that there was much more interest, with a good turnout
of prospective purchasers at the recent walkthrough of the old building that once served as the Odd Fellows Hall before becoming a fire station in the 1940s.
The Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee will hold a joint public hearing on the 2014 Spring Town Meeting Warrant May 24, to discuss all of the articles, prior to taking their respective positions on the articles. Town Manager Mark Haddad presented Selectmen with the first draft of the 2014 Spring Town Meeting Warrant and it contains 34 articles; the biggest warrant since Haddad became Town Manager. There are some articles that are place holders, and some that may be withdrawn before the final printing, but if all of these remain, voters should plan for at least three nights of Town Meeting.
