With the redistricting that took place in East Haven schools leading into the 2016-’17 school year, the Board of Education turned two more empty schools—Hayes and D.C. Moore—over to the town. These sidelined schools join the town’s former high school (known as the 200 Tyler Street property) as buildings in search of a use.

In response to the now-vacant schools, Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., has announced a “town-wide school re-use initiative” aimed at putting all three properties back into productive use in the imminent future. The plan is to sell the 200 Tyler Street property as well as D.C. Moore for private development. Included is a plan to sell the old Foxon School, which houses the Reggie Hatch Community Center.

According to a press release, the plan includes the “disposition of 200 Tyler Street to a chosen developer beginning with the presentation of a preliminary development agreement, preliminary renderings, and a proposed statement of use to the Town Council within the next three weeks; the solicitation of offers to purchase D.C. Moore School from prospective developers and the eventual sale of the property; the solicitation of offers to purchase the Reggie Hatch Community Center in Foxon on Route 80 and the eventual sale of the property; and the relocation of the Teen Center, Historical Society, Arts Commission, Rotary, and Foxon Recreation League to the former Hayes School and the undertaking of various capital improvements to the school to accommodate these groups.”

“Hayes is in a neighborhood across from the Pit [baseball facility] and we’ll be able to fit the town organizations that need a home there,” said Maturo. “They’ll end up in a newer building with more space.”

Beginning in November 2015, the town-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission held several public hearings and conducted research on the best use of the 200 Tyler Street building. The commission recommended selling the property to a private developer as a mixed-use property, but still allow the town access to the gym and the pool.

“We have a developer we’re working with and it is now going through the appropriate boards,” said Maturo. “We’ll still own the gym and swimming pool, but they will be remodeled and updated by contractor at no cost to town. It’s a homerun.

Goals of the re-use initiative include alleviating the maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of the empty buildings and not allowing them to sit vacant for an extended time.

Susan Stacey, a resident who served on the original 200 Tyler Street Committee that was charged with helping to decide the school’s outcome, feels the town is no closer to have a solution to the vacant buildings than it was before.

“There is nothing to comment on because it’s the same rhetoric going on,” said Stacey. “I love this town and work so hard to promote the nice things in town, but there is nothing concrete that anything is going to happen.”

Over the summer, Sal Brancati, economic development head for the Town of East Haven, and Town Attorney Joseph Zullo negotiated with a prospective developer to purchase the 200 Tyler Street property, but after learning that two more school buildings would be turned over to the town, Maturo formed an internal staff committee to evaluate the best use of the buildings.

The committee, which included Town Council members of both parties, developed a plan to present to various town boards over the coming months. The committee’s goal is to present definitive plans to the Town Council early in the new year.

While the plans for the newly vacated buildings will not be finalized until 2017, the sale of the 200 Tyler Street property remains a priority for Maturo. The plans will be presented to the public and Maturo encourages residents to participate in a prpoposed series of upcoming hearings.

“We have settled on a good priority for the town that works well for the organizations looking for space and we will be able to put two schools back on the market,” said Maturo. “We won’t have these empty schools sitting around for another 20 years. I have made it a priority and I’m going to get it done no matter what. It’s time.”