Groton — At its next full meeting, the Town Council is slated to vote on a recommendation to terminate the agreement with the Noank School Public Gardens Task Force.

In a 5-3 vote Tuesday, the council's Committee of the Whole recommended terminating the guiding document for the task force and directing the town manager and staff to come up with potential uses for the approximately 6-acre property, while proposing an area that could be set aside for a public garden and natural playground.

The recommendation also calls for appointing a new three-person task force so the gardens still can be cultivated in the spring of 2019 until the Council makes a decision on the use of the property.

Town Mayor Patrice Granatosky and Town Councilors David Atwater, Conrad Heede, Rachael Franco and Juliette Parker voted Tuesday in favor of the recommendation, while Town Councilors Aundré Bumgardner, Joe Zeppieri and Rita Schmidt were opposed.

Granatosky said terminating the agreement would allow town staff to figure out what would be the best potential use for the property. "I think it would be more of a disservice to not look at the potential for the property and to consider what our options are," she said during discussions. "That's what we're charged with. We're charged with looking out for the whole town."

But Zeppieri, referencing the many residents who came out to support the gardens, said he doesn't think the town can have enough open space, and this represents the best opportunity to keep the land as such without burdening the taxpayers. If the council cancels the agreement and the group no longer tries to improve the grounds, the only way any improvements would be made is by spending taxpayer money.

More than 30 people had spoken to the council on March 5. Many said the Groton/Noank Community Park and Gardens allow them to grow their own healthy food or be outside in nature to walk, meditate, talk to neighbors, or teach schoolchildren about seeds and plants, and is open to the whole town. But others wanted the town to end the agreement and questioned why Noank could keep its former school property as open space, when other neighborhoods couldn't, and said the land could be better used to offset taxes in light of large-scale town projects.

The Town Council in 2014 had supported turning the former school property into a public garden, and in 2017 extended the agreement for four more years. However, last month, Atwater had made a motion to rescind the agreement with the task force during a Committee of the Whole meeting in which he and several councilors questioned the task force about concerns, including its filing of minutes, fundraising capabilities and progress on the property.

The task force said it has expert members and a fundraising campaign to move forward with a multiyear vision for enhancing the public space, beginning with a $50,000 pavilion to accommodate groups and schoolchildren. They said the property features 25 garden beds, a giving garden that produced 300 pounds of food that were donated last year, a memorial garden and growing evergreen and fruit trees.

At a later meeting, Zeppieri — who wanted to allow the group time to report on its fundraising efforts —  proposed postponing until April 23 the discussions on rescinding the agreement, and his motion passed.

Atwater moved Tuesday to rescind that motion to postpone. Atwater's motion ultimately passed, though some councilors objected to not keeping the April 23 date. 

During Tuesday's meeting, Granatosky proposed appointing a new three-member task force for the garden and a provision to allow the garden to be cultivated until the council makes a decision on the property. She said current task force Chairman Clint Wright had requested that the garden still be allowed to be cultivated.

Parker made a request that town staff would consult with Noank zoning during the process of considering the best uses for the property.

The next regular Town Council meeting is scheduled to take place April 2.

k.drelich@theday.com