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10/20/2020 12:00 AMAre you an alumnus of the Old Morgan School who wants to preserve some of the history of your alma mater before it’s torn down? The new developer of the property had set aside 250 bricks from the school that are available for free on a first come, first served basis from the town.
To receive a brick, send an email to Mary Schettino at mschettino@clintonct.org. The town will take orders until Friday, Oct. 30 or until all the bricks are gone. Bricks are available on a one-brick-per-person policy. Bricks will be available for pickup on a Saturday in November or December. Recipients will be notified via email once a date is scheduled. People must be available to pick up the bricks at the scheduled time; no bricks will be set aside for anyone.
In an email Schettino said so far there has been “overwhelming” requests for bricks.
“The town would like to thank Greylock Property Group for graciously agreeing to put 250 bricks aside,” Schettino said. “The rest of the structure will be demolished.
Noting that the demolition crew needs to carefully extract 250 bricks and remove the mortar, “We cannot guarantee the condition of the bricks,” Schettino said.
The old school had welcomed Clinton’s students since 1951 but on June 16, 2016 the old Morgan School graduated its last class. The current Morgan School opened its doors in fall 2016 and the old school was marked to be demolished and turned into Mill Pond, LLC, a mixed-use development of retail and restaurants. However, due to problems with financing and obtaining necessary permits, that project was scrapped in late 2017.
Instead, the town announced in late 2018 that the property had a new buyer: Greylock Property Group. Greylock announced plans to turn the property into Indian River Landing, a similar proposal to the Mill Pond development that will consist of multiple buildings of retail, restaurants, and a hotel in addition to a Big Y and Starbucks. The development will also include walking trails and a park area for recreation uses.
After nearly two years of procedural work Greylock and the town officially closed on the property in early October, which signals the start of construction. The first phase is estimated to be complete in 2021.
During town meetings the developers attended, some residents asked the developers if they had any plans for the bricks after demolition of the school. Jane Scully Welch, the president of the Morgan Alumni Association, in particular was one of the more vocal proponents of saving some of the bricks from the school.
Scully Welch said she was thankful that the developer made bricks available and said she hoped there was enough bricks to go around to people who want them.
The demolition of the school is set to begin shortly, according to the town.