The possible purchase of the LeSage property by the is moving forward after the Board of Finance (BOF) voted July 20 to allow the Board of Selectmen to negotiate the purchase of the property at 351 Copse Road and which abuts the current Green Hill Road school campus. The town has leased a large portion of the property (4.7 acres) for the past 12 years for use as fields, and the Board of Education (BOE) has now requested the town move forward and purchase the land entirely.

The assumed net purchase price of the property is $800,000, but Finance Director Stacey Nobitz said the town many not have to cut a check for that full sum.

“There is approximately $300,000 left in a LOCAP Fund Project, that the town could vote to dedicate toward the purchase,” she said. “The BOF has not made a final decision on where the funds will come from. Most likely that will be discussed in September.”

Additionally, over the past 12 years the town has invested $341,000 in lease payments on the property, including $180,000 that has been paid into escrow for the ultimate purchase of the property if it were to become available.

“Of the town’s annual lease payments, a portion has been applied, per the lease agreement, towards the purchase price, should the Town decide to purchase the property,” said Nobitz. “This is an accumulation of funds over the years. These funds are netted out of the assumed purchase price of $800,000.”

Since the property recently became available, rumors have been circling over the BOE’s possible use for the land as one proposed option in the school utilization study includes building a new school, possibly on that property. While that option is still on the table, Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice previously said that is not the main reason to buy the property.

“It certainly is in the consideration for one of the options going forward for our school configuration long-term study,” he said. “It does keep that option in play. Whether or not we go with that option remains to be seen.”

From here the process to purchase the property will move to the BOS for approval, then to the Planning & Zoning Commission, and would then end up at town meeting.