Stafford to vote Wednesday on sale of Borough School

Matthew Verrilli, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·1 min read

Oct. 25—STAFFORD — A public hearing and town meeting are set for Wednesday to discuss and vote on the sale of the former Borough Elementary School to Bluebird Construction LLC for $275,000.

The public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. at the Community Center, with the town meeting to follow.

Connecticut Retirement Colony Inc. purchased the property at 36 Prospect St. in 2015 in the hope of establishing affordable housing units. After the nonprofit failed to win the needed funding, the property was returned to the ownership of the town this year.

At a Board of Selectmen meeting on Oct. 5, Rob Arute from Arute Realty noted that a potential buyer paid for asbestos removal, a lead based study, a phase-one environmental study, and a full appraisal.

With no additional offers on the property, the board provided a counteroffer to Arute to take back to the potential buyer.

Town officials hoped to find several time capsules that were buried around the property by former students before the sale was finalized. However, there is no update as to whether they have been found.

The town meeting also is set to vote on the allocation of $2.416 million for the Stafford Middle School roof replacement project. A vote on the plan originally was scheduled for Oct. 6, but was put on hold because of cost increases for the project.

A vote also is expected to authorize the preparation of schematics and outline specifications for the roof project, as well as allowing the Board of Education to serve as the Stafford Middle School Roof Replacement Building Committee.

Matthew covers Coventry and Tolland for the Journal Inquirer.