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06/07/2024 03:39 PMThe Town Council and the potential developers of the former Pierson School property have come to terms on a purchase and sales agreement (PSA). A town meeting will be scheduled in the near future for citizens to approve the potential sale of the property.
According to an update posted to the Town’s website on May 22, the Town Council reached an agreement with Xenolith Partners and HOPE Partnership to sell the former middle school for $500,000. Per the post, a special town meeting will be scheduled for citizens to authorize the council to sign the agreement. As of press time the meeting has not been scheduled yet.
The plan is for the two developers to turn the building into senior housing and a place for senior programming while the Town retains some of the space for community use.
“Under the agreement, the historic 1930s facade of Pierson School will remain intact. The Vece Gazebo and statues of Abraham Pierson and Charles Morgan will continue to grace East Main Street. The gazebo area will become a park for continued public use, along with dedicated parking. Importantly, the developer will provide a lease back to the Town, converting the old Pierson gymnasium and additional interior space into a new home for Clinton Senior Connection, which provides programming for local senior citizens,” the posting stated in part.
Town Council Chairperson Carrie Allen praised the work done by former Clinton Town Manager Karl Kilduff, who Allen said has continued to work on the project despite no longer working for the Town, in making the PSA a reality.
“Of course, the council is extremely grateful that all Pierson steps could be followed through despite Karl’s resignation, and we thank Karl profusely for keeping that complex process on schedule for the Council and for the Town of Clinton,” said Allen.
The post stated that with the PSA in place, the developers will work on formal applications for the town’s land use boards and apply for state funding to help with the property's redevelopment. According to the press release, the developers are expected to close on the property in 2026.
“Unlike the sale of the Morgan School, which was sold without restrictions, the Town has played a more active role in the re-use of the Pierson School by requesting it be used for senior, affordable housing and asking the developer to provide additional public benefits and public space both on the property for community gatherings and in the school for a senior center,” the release stated.
The PSA's announcement is the latest step in the nearly six-year process of finding a new use for the school.
In 2018, Clinton’s Board of Education voted to close the school at the end of the 2019 school year after a facility-needs study conducted by the school system found that closing the school was prudent in the face of declining enrollment and rising operational costs. The school housed the district’s fourth and fifth graders and had been open for 80 years at the time.
Since the school closed, the Town has conducted feasibility studies, held public outreach events, and discussed the school in executive sessions; however, some members of the public were concerned with a lack of visible progress on the site.
Interest was piqued again in December 2023 when the Town Council announced the potential sale to Xenolith Partners and HOPE Partnership.
In April, Interim Town Manager Richard Brown said that an agreement had been signed to allow potential developers to access the property to conduct their due diligence before creating a sales agreement. That work is ongoing.
Deed Restriction Remains a Concern
Despite the development of a PSA, one long-time obstacle to redeveloping the property remains.
When the Morgan Fund Trustees sold the property to the Town in 1953, a deed on the property from the sale stated that the premises must always be used for the education interests of the residents.
Since 2019, the Town has pursued ongoing legal action, officially called a cy pres, which would lift the deed restriction. Town officials learned about the deed restriction after the decision to close the school was made in 2018.
In March of 2022, the Town Council unanimously agreed to a resolution that would pay the Morgan Trust $75,670 to help remove the deed restriction. The Connecticut Attorney General’s Office needs to approve the payment, but since both the Town and the trust agree with the exchange, it’s hopeful the state won’t object.
The post on the website stated the deed remains an active issue. “The Town is diligently working with its attorneys to resolve the deed restriction on the property…. It is anticipated that this will be settled soon.”