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12/03/2019 01:00 PMAs of Nov. 30, control of the Abraham Pierson School building was turned over to the Town of Clinton from the Board of Education (BOE). The town will now be responsible for the property until a future use is determined.
The BOE unanimously voted to turn over control to the town at a meeting on Nov. 18. When the BOE announced the closure of the Pierson School in 2018, it was anticipated that the BOE would relinquish control of the property once the building was no longer needed for educational purposes. The move is on schedule.
By assuming control of the property, the town now takes responsibility for taking care of the building and lands.
“Several meetings have occurred with town representatives, and a meeting was held with the new interim town manager this week to review the areas of security, systems, access, and safety related to ongoing management of the building,” said Superintendent of Schools Maryann O’Donnell. “The BOE maintenance personnel will be assisting in monitoring the heating systems and supporting overall maintenance as needed until determined that the assistance is not necessary. All access to the building will be managed by the Director of Public Works Todd Hajek.”
Hajek said that he was not too concerned about the Public Works Department having yet another building under its jurisdiction.
“It’s going to be a very limited use. We’re there in more of a watchdog mentality,” Hajek said.
The Pierson School closed its doors for good last spring after 87 years. In 2018 the BOE undertook a district-wide facility needs study that recommended closing the Pierson School. The BOE voted to adopt that recommendation later that same year. The committee cited rising costs and declining enrollment as reasons to close the school.
O’Donnell said that the vast majority of furniture and equipment has been moved out of the building, but some items, including office furniture, were left behind in case they are needed in the future.
“One other consideration is that the town is considering use of the building for a few months for Park and Rec basketball. As a result, there are some school district cleaning equipment items that we have left in the building to assist with this,” O’Donnell said.
With Pierson no longer in use as a school, the town has been working on a future use for the building. The town appointed a committee to investigate the steps the town would need to go through to develop the building. A public meeting was held in early November to gauge the public’s thoughts on what the future of the building holds.
The intention of the committee is to move as quickly as possible, so that the school does not end up sitting vacant for a prolonged period.
The town already has some experience with a similar project. After the original plan to develop the old Morgan School fell though in 2017, the town was faced with vandalism and break-ins at that site. Hajek said that he doesn’t anticipate similar problems at the Pierson School. Hajek pointed to the buildings location right in the heart of downtown Clinton as a deterrent, as well as the fact that the security system in the school is still in place.
The Pierson school was home to Clinton’s 4th and 5th graders. With the Pierson School closed, 4th grade was moved to the Joel School and 5th to the Eliot School. O’Donnell said that thus far the reorganization has gone well.
“The new grade configurations for our schools are firmly established and students and staff are settled into their new spaces,” she said. “Our staff is building our new cultures and identities as Joel Elementary [pre-K to 4] and Eliot Middle [5 to 8] schools, learning initiatives and new programs are being implemented, and students are experiencing exciting new opportunities.”
As examples of those new opportunities, O’Donnell said that the 5th graders are now getting access to technology education classes and an introduction to STEM related courses. Meanwhile at Joel, 4th graders are getting an opportunity to work with the kindergarten students to in settings that are intended to instill responsibility in them and to show the younger kids that their older peers can be trusted.