Fight continues over land swap for Groton middle school
Groton — The former Groton Town councilor whose idea to buy open space in 1988 led to the purchase of the Merritt property, said he believes there’s a solution to the dispute over use of the property for a middle school.
Attorney Richard Dixon said the town could build the middle school and still satisfy its commitment to conservation by dedicating the 20-acre site called Boulder Heights as open space, keeping deed restrictions on whatever portion of the Merritt property it doesn’t use, and adding a potential third parcel for open space, such as the riverfront area of the former Mystic Education Center property.
“No one I have spoken with wants to ‘kill the middle school project,’” Dixon wrote in an email Friday. “But if the town continues to ignore both the law and the public trust the residents of Groton placed on future public officials in 1988, that action (or inaction) by the town could very well make the project fail.”
On Tuesday, more than 70 people packed a Town Council public hearing about whether the town should go forward with a conservation land swap to build the school. Groton already has spent nearly $800,000 on the middle school, and the state has committed to reimburse $100 million of the $184 million Groton needs to build or renovate three schools, including the middle school.
If the project stalls now, the town never will see the state money again, state Sen. Heather Somers said.
State Rep. Joe de la Cruz said Dixon approached him after the public hearing on Tuesday and explained the conditions that would make the dispute end: Conservation restrictions on Boulder Heights, part of the Merritt property and the riverfront portion of the former Mystic Education Center land.
“It seems like, more or less to me, that the schools are being held hostage right now,” de la Cruz said. Land restrictions on the Mystic Education Center property could cause problems for developers, de la Cruz said. The state and town are in the middle of jointly marketing the property.
He said he understands concerns about open space. But he said he can’t let the school project fall through and feels backed against a wall, like the school is being used as a bargaining chip to gain additional conservation land. “This is a $100 million ransom in my mind,” he said.
Construction of the middle school is contingent on the swap. The Merritt property is deed-restricted for open space and recreation, so the town must provide an equivalent property for conservation in its place, by transferring the deed restrictions elsewhere. As the replacement, the town chose the Boulder Heights property, off the end of Colver Avenue.
But the two properties are not the same, either in size or in value, Dixon said.
Joan Smith, president of the Groton Open Space Association, said the organization isn’t taking a position on the land swap for the school. But speaking as an individual, she said Dixon has spoken to her and members of Groton Conservation Advocates about what properties might be suitable additions for open space.
The town shouldn’t blame conservationists for what’s happening now, Dixon said. He warned town leaders — though he declined to name them — two years ago about building on the Merritt property. They wouldn’t listen, he said.
He praised the council and state Reps. de la Cruz and Christine Conley for trying to come up with an answer.
“We’re not holding anyone hostage,” Dixon said. “The legal advice and management of the town ignored the law and ignored the public trust. You haven’t listened to us. You’re the ones that are putting the project in jeopardy. We’re telling you there’s a solution.”
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