The results are in from a survey conducted in November about the potential future use of the Abraham Pierson school. Now the Pierson Future Use Committee is digesting the information in order to make recommendations about the future uses to the Town Council (TC) next month.

What should happen to the Pierson school? That was the question posed to attendees at the public meeting—officially called a charette—held at the school on Nov. 2. The event was run by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, which tabulated the results and presented the findings to the Pierson Future Use Committee on Dec. 18.

At the meeting, three prevailing potential uses were discussed at length: moving the Henry Carter Hull Library to the Pierson site, turning the building into a multi-generational and multi–use site, and using a portion of the building as a senior center. The committee also discussed being able to combine some of those proposals.

Looking at the Library

Moving the library from its current location on Route 81 to the downtown is an issue that has been informally discussed previously. Committee member Carol Walter said she supported that idea because she felt the population of people who visit the library would be better served by having the library move to a central location in town. Committee Chair Christine Goupil said that the town would have to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to see if the move was feasible; the rest of the committee agreed.

Goupil noted that as the planned development gets underway at the Old Morgan School, located across the street from the library, the value of the library property likely will increase, if the town at one point wanted to sell it.

Goupil also revealed that earlier in 2019, when she served as first selectman, a potential developer had expressed interest in buying a portion of land owned by the town and located between the Clinton Crossings property and the library. Ultimately the developer decided the land wasn’t viable for the proposed project. Goupil declined to name the developer or what the proposed development was, citing nondisclosure agreements.

Senior Space

As for the potential of landing of a senior center on the Pierson property, that may prove to be tricky. Earlier this year, a task force charged with studying senior needs conducted a survey that showed that there is interest amongst seniors in having a space dedicated to them and their needs. During the summer, a small group of seniors attended a Board of Selectmen meeting where they criticized the way the town had been treating seniors and delivered an impassioned presentation to the board on why they felt a center was needed.

The future use committee wasn’t against the idea of a senior center going into the Pierson building, but the members also noted that the senior citizens most adamant in their support for a senior center want that desire to become a reality sooner rather than later and have expressed interest in using the Town Hall Annex. The committee decided it will recommend to the Town Council to explore the issue further.

Two Birds, One Building

Turning the property into a multi-use facility is something that received broad support both from those at attendance at the charette and the committee members. Committee member John Allen, who is also the chairman of the town’s Economic Development Commission, suggested that the building could incorporate either the library or senior center as one use in addition to uses such as office space or retail.

Due to a shortage of available gym space, the town has decided to keep the Pierson gym open for the Parks & Recreation Department to use for basketball leagues this winter. Allen and other committee members voiced an interest in the town finding a way to strike a deal with any future developer to lease some space in the building for a community center.

Allen stated that in his opinion, getting the building actually developed and put to use supersedes the need to get the most money from a potential sale of the building.

“The big money isn’t in the sale of the building, it’s in the long-term use of the building,” Allen said.

It’s possible that the town will not see a majority of the money from any sale of the property, in any case. In spring 2019, the town discovered that the deed for the sale of the building from The Morgan Trust to the Town of Clinton in 1953 states that the premises must always be used for the education interests of the residents. The town has been in contact with the Office of the State’s Attorney General about possibly changing that provision.

Additionally, The Morgan Trust owns 63 percent of the land on the Pierson property, including the land under the building. In the fall, then-first selectman Christine Goupil reported that The Morgan Trust wants to receive 63 percent of the gross profits from a potential sale of the land.

Next Steps

Now that the results of the charette have been provided, the next step is for the committee to present the results to the TC next month. Goupil said that the TC—of which both she and Walter are members—may recommend the future use committee continue its work or the TC may decide the committee has satisfied its charge and be disbanded.

The Pierson School closed its doors last spring after a study determined that, with declining enrollment across the district, it wasn’t in the town’s best interest to keep open. Since then the responsibility for the upkeep of the building and grounds has been transferred from the purview of the Board of Education to the town.

Besides the possible future uses of the property, the results of the charette also indicated that there was strong support from the community that any future development retain the façade of the building and the gazebo on the property to keep the character of the downtown. The committee also suggested that temporary uses for the building should be explored until a concrete, long-term plan is decided upon.