Groton — The future of the public garden property that once housed the Noank Elementary School has sparked debate among residents, as the Town Council considers rescinding the guiding document with the task force stewarding the land.

More than 30 people addressed the Town Council this week, with many expressing support for the approximately 6 acres of land that they said provides needed public open space and opportunities to grow healthy, affordable food or be outside in nature. But opponents questioned the sustainability of the project and called for selling the town property and using the tax revenue to offset other expenses.

Community park and gardens

Five years ago, the Town Council had backed an agreement to turn the site of the former elementary school, which closed in 2007, into a public garden, and the school was torn down in the spring of 2015. In September 2017, the council approved extending the use of the property for another four years, after the task force outlined a three- to five-year expansion plan for the property that called for recreational and educational opportunities and growing food to be donated, The Day reported.

At the Feb. 19 Town Council Committee of the Whole meeting, the task force overseeing the Groton/Noank Community Park and Gardens presented its plan to develop the property with a pavilion, youth playing field and a healing garden, among other features, with the first step being fundraising for the $50,000 pavilion. Group members said the property already has 25 garden beds that are fully rented out, a giving garden from which 300 pounds of food were donated last year, and a memorial garden. They also planted more than 250 evergreen saplings and more than a dozen apple and pear trees.

But several Town Council members expressed concerns, including over the progress being made on the property, the group's meetings and filing of minutes, ability to fundraise for the plan and how the property was being communicated to the whole town.

Councilor David Atwater made a motion at the Feb. 26 Town Council Committee of the Whole meeting to recommend that the council rescind the Noank School Public Gardens Task Force guiding document and direct the town manager to consult with staff and offer a recommendation of potential uses of the property and recommend an area reserved for public garden/natural playground.

But Councilor Joe Zeppieri made a motion, which passed, to postpone voting on the issue until the April 23 Town Council Committee of the Whole meeting to allow the task force to report on its fundraising efforts to build the pavilion.

In discussions, Town Councilor Conrad Heede said he's lived in a number of communities with beautiful parks and gardens and thinks they are important to the community, but didn't have confidence that the current plans could be executed on the large area of land. He said the volunteers made a great effort but he felt the town would be doing them a favor by giving them a smaller area to manage.

But Town Councilor Aundre Bumgardner said the council should start a dialogue and focus on the proposals the task force brought to them. He wouldn't support any recommendation to dispose of the property.

"I think it would be a huge mistake," he said. "It's essentially a short-term municipal revenue gain for long-term economic and environmental losses."

Residents weigh in

People packed the room at Tuesday's meeting to weigh in on the issue, as supporters testified that they used the garden to put healthy food on their table or spend time outdoors walking, meditating, gardening and discussing community news. They stressed that the space is open to the entire Groton community, not just Noank. The Conservation Commission also supported keeping the property as open space.

"I have seen many other kids, including myself and my brother, enjoy this space," said Myra Cooley, a Groton fifth-grader. "Also adults have enjoyed planting, working there, walking their dogs and enjoying each other's company. Please let this commission continue."

Christina Blais, a task force member and reading tutor at Claude Chester Elementary School, said she brought two classes to the garden last spring to teach them about seeds and plant growth. She said the program will be expanded this year to 10 to 12 classes and will have assistance from the school district's farm-to-school liaison.

Allison Meyler said the Groton/Noank Community Park and Gardens project is not only environmentally smart, but also a great space for the community to gather.

"It provides opportunities to meet others, hold special events, learn from elders, teach children and give back to others, to mention just a few (uses)," she said.

But others called on the Town Council to market the property, as it has other vacant school properties, in an effort to relieve the burden on taxpayers, or questioned why Noank had a public garden on its former school site, when other neighborhoods didn't have a say on what happened to the town properties when schools in their area had closed.

Representative Town Meeting member Rosanne Kotowski said she supported the Council's effort to rescind the agreement and believed "the property should be evaluated and marketed as other vacant properties in the town of Groton and put on the tax rolls."

"Why are a few residents allowed to have control over a town property worth $1.9 million?" she asked. "That’s $1.9 million undeveloped."

Resident and RTM member Kathy Chase argued that the garden is not sustainable under the volunteer group.

"How much time do we give them while sitting on a piece of land that could be providing tax revenue to the town, thus reducing some of the burden on taxpayers?" she said. "When the land is sold a piece of the property can be retained for a small neighborhood park and garden."

"However, that piece must not hinder the development of or reduce the value of the remaining piece of land. We have some hefty expenses coming up that taxpayers must start paying for or are paying for already," she said, including the upcoming schools project and police radio system.

At the end of Tuesday's meeting, Councilor David Atwater gave notice that he would make a motion at the March 12 Committee of the Whole meeting to rescind the motion to postpone until April 23. If that motion passes, then the original motion to terminate the agreement will be back on the table.

Town Mayor Patrice Granatosky said by phone that she shares the concerns of Town Council members that the property has been underutilized. She said the Town Council has to make sure it's benefitting the whole town, and not just a certain part of town.

"There's concern that the town may be able to make better use of the property, and we don't know that until the town looks at the property and considers what the potential uses of the property are," Granatosky said.

She would be comfortable putting the property through the request for proposals process, in which town staff would evaluate best uses, which could, for example, be keeping it as open space or using it for senior housing, or some other potential use. Regardless of what happens, she said she would like to see an area remain for a garden and playground.

But she said, either way, there needs to be more accountability as far as the task force's reporting and communication.

Task force members said they are hoping the agreement remains in place so they have the time to make their vision for the property come to fruition. Chairman Clint Wright said the group plans to build the pavilion as the first part of its project so more children and large groups can come to the site. 

He said developing the gardens has required manual labor, which takes time and is dependent on the weather, and the people laboring are volunteers, not salaried employees.

"We're just trying to do the best we can and we're just trying to do the right thing," he said.

Wright said task force members' life events — having new grandchildren, or children visiting colleges or getting married — have made it difficult in the past to get everyone into the room at the same time and have a quorum at meetings, so the task force didn't have minutes for those meetings.

Task force Vice Chairman Raymond Johnson said the group takes full responsibility for the minutes issue and moving forward will be much more conscientious about communicating. He supported an idea of including a town councilor as part of the task force.

Johnson added that the task force realized it needed more resources and brought on members with expertise and developed fundraising plans to execute the proposal. He said the resources will be key to the success in implementing the proposal.

"What we want is the opportunity to prove we can do what we're trying to do," he said.

k.drelich@theday.com