Groton - The Noank Fire District board of directors is expected to seek taxpayers' permission Thursday to negotiate a lease agreement with the town for the former Noank Elementary School.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at the firehouse.

The building has been out of service since 2010. The heating system has been unusable since the flooding in 2010. The roof has problems, including leaks, that might be related to the construction of two additions to the building. Repairs have been estimated at between $80,000 and $300,000. Part of the building probably would be closed off until it could be upgraded.

"The original section (auditorium, stage, kitchen, classrooms and bathroom) is in much more stable condition," the Noank Fire District School Reuse Committee wrote in its recommendation report regarding the building.

"I think it's a great opportunity to have a property we can make use of in a variety of ways," District President Frank Socha said. "The firehouse has a lot of things going on that would probably be a better fit somewhere else."

Socha said the school could be used for meetings, office space and public gatherings. He said the outside space is an asset that could be used for passive recreation.

The reuse committee recommended three stages of development for the property. It proposes first, to use the building in its "as is" condition while making plans and finding funding for "first steps," and then "long term" improvements.

"As is" means shuttering part of the building and repairing roof leaks in the original, most sound portion. As is, the property could be used mostly for "passive recreation in a park-like setting," but also for public or private gatherings in the auditorium.

"As specific improvements are proposed, Fire District meetings/referendums will be conducted to obtain resident approval to proceed," the recommendation says.

Committee member Dr. Ray Johnson, said taxpayers should understand that "as is" won't be the final step.

"If we expand on as is, additional costs would be incurred," Johnson said.

"This is a unique, one-time opportunity, to get a property and a building like this," Bryan Burdick, a member of the committee, said. "But they (the fire district board of directors) need to be clear to residents, its not free, and the initial funding is a tax increase. It's a very small increase (about $30 per year to a residential property assessed at $300,000) but it's an increase."

"Buying in to 'as is,' is buying into 'long term,'" Burdick said "There will have to be other costs, later on."

Socha said the district would have to deal with initial operational costs. But, he said, he has talked with local legislators and has hopes of securing grants for future upgrades.

"Right now, we're looking for permission from the voters to lease it," he said. "Then we'll look for funding. We're not going to borrow any money to fix up the school. We're not anticipating saddling Noank with a big bill. It's a nice facility, relatively inexpensive, that we could find a lot of use for. No one on the committee wants to spend a lot of money."

c.potter@theday.com