Groton looks at open space options in exchange for Merritt property
Groton — The town has begun the process of seeking state permission to use the Merritt property adjacent to Robert E. Fitch High School as the site of its new middle school.
The Merritt property includes two parcels, the largest of which was purchased using a grant from the state’s Outdoor Recreation Fund Project.
Groton bought the land from Mary S. Merritt in 1989 with the restriction that it be used for "conservation, recreation and open space” purposes.
If the town wants to build a school on the site instead, it must offer the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection a comparable property to save for recreation and open space.
The deed restriction could then be transferred from the Merritt property to a new site with state approval.
Groton gave the state a list of properties that could be purchased or protected to serve as a replacement the Merritt property, according to Oefinger's letter.
"We've identified multiple properties around town," said Jonathan Reiner, Groton's director of the Department of Planning and Development Services. "We've had some of them appraised and we've offered one up to the state for them to consider transferring the land restrictions."
One possible swap is a 20-acre property known as Boulder Heights, off the end of Colver Avenue and recently appraised at $750,000, according to a June 9 letter from Town Manager Mark Oefinger to Graham J. Stevens, director of the land acquisition division of DEEP.
The site is mainly level, with some sloped areas and some wetlands, Oefinger wrote. It was previously approved for 250 condominiums, but they were never built.
The Merritt property is valued at $458,000 based on an April 27 appraisal, Oefinger wrote. The site has wetlands, steep slopes and limited, flat developable land.
The new middle school is part of a larger plan to modernize Groton's aging schools, create racial balance across the district and make it more competitive with others.
The construction proposal, called the Groton 2020 Plan, is expected to go to voters at referendum in November.
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