Groton — A developer has expressed interest in the former Mystic Education Center, which the state closed in September 2011.

Tim Sullivan, deputy commissioner for the state Department of Economic and Community Development, said the office is working closely with Groton Town Manager Mark Oefinger and economic development specialist Kristin Clarke.

The town is working on a comprehensive plan for development, Sullivan said.

"We're working closely with the town to identify what the right redevelopment strategy would be that fits in with the town's vision of how the campus might be repurposed," Sullivan said, adding, "We never discuss the details of developer interest in a site until it's further along."

The developer interest was mentioned at a recent meeting of the Groton Economic Development Commission. A building at the campus also was razed this past summer.

The state Department of Administrative Services is managing the Mystic Education Center property now, and there's a 'For Sale' sign out front, Sullivan said.

Some buildings are contaminated by mold and asbestos, he said.

The education center, formerly called the Mystic Oral School, served as a residential school for the deaf from 1895 until 1980.

Later, a wide range of intermittent uses by various organizations, including the Groton Recreation Department, Special Olympics, a ballroom dance program, a business, a day care center and firefighter training programs, were housed there.

The state notified Groton via a letter in 2011 that the campus would be closed and a popular swimming program that had used a pool in the Pratt Building would have to move out.

The state closed the campus to save an estimated $400,000 per year in operating costs.

d.straszheim@theday.com

Twitter: @DStraszheim