Waterford ― From the air, Great Neck Elementary School looks like a puzzle with one rectangular piece missing.

That missing piece is at 8 Goshen Road.

The town is now looking to finish the puzzle, so to speak, by buying the 0.46-acre piece of property bordered on three sides by the school.

“The property sits right in the middle of the school property in a way,” First Selectman Rob Brule said Wednesday.

Last week, he and the two selectmen voted to appropriate $385,000 to buy the Goshen Road property, which is owned by the estate of Lois and Austin Joyce, according to town records. The property’s appraised value in 2022 was $295,330.

The $385,000 includes approximately $375,000 to acquire the property, $8,000 in fees and other legal expenses related to the drafting of the contract and a reserve of $2,000 for contingency and a potential inspection of the property for hazardous waste.

The contract of sale between the estate’s executor, Matthew Joyce, and the town has yet to be signed by Brule. The purchase still needs to be authorized by the Board of Finance, Representative Town Meeting and Planning and Zoning Commission.

Brule called the property important for improving traffic patterns near the school, safe pickup of students and security measures the town has been working on.

The town has agreed to spend $1.98 million in October to add 550 security cameras to public buildings, including the schools.

“This will provide a safer area for our students and faculty,” Brule said of the purchase. “It just made sense.”

“If the property remained residential, and let’s say it was rented, we don’t know who’s in the house, we don’t know who’s out and about,” he added. “Or if it’s purchased, we still run into some risks with school security.”

“So it was just important for me as the first selectman to be aware that, if it became available, I was going to purchase, or put an offer in to purchase,” Brule said.

Brule said he was glad the town and Joyce could come to an agreement, and he now looks forward to the Great Neck Elementary having the entire property.

Superintendent of School Thomas Giard said Wednesday he had recently been informed that the town was trying to purchase the property.

He said the ultimate decision as to whether or not the property would be used for school purposes would be up to the town.

“While the property would certainly help us address some ongoing parking and traffic challenges that we have at the school, obviously any plans for the property would need to be done with the proper approvals of the various town boards and commissions,” said Giard.

If the town does decide to give the land to the school, the Board of Education would have to vote whether or not the property was in the best interest of the school district, he said.

Editor’s Note: This version adds that the purchase must also be approved by the Board of Finance.

d.drainville@theday.com