Fairfield May Spend $5.1 Million To Buy Vacant School Property

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield’s alternative high school may have a new home next year if officials choose to move forward with a $5.1 million plan to buy the 12-acre property that was previously occupied by Giant Steps School.

The Board of Selectmen discussed the proposal Monday, and the Town Plan and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously recommended that the Representative Town Meeting approve the acquisition.

“This is a wonderful development that the town should absolutely capitalize on,” commission Chair Matthew Wagner said.

The former Giant Steps property at 309 Barberry Road in Southport would cost $4.9 million to purchase. Another $208,233 would be needed to outfit the site as the new location of the Walter Fitzgerald Campus.

The alternative high school is currently located in a building at 108 Biro St., which is owned by the Diocese of Bridgeport, costs the Fairfield school district $110,250 per year in rent, and is in need of extensive maintenance. The diocese plans to sell the Biro Street facility and does not intend to invest in it further.

“When the Giant Steps property became available to us, it really does present itself as a move-in ready option,” Superintendent Mike Cummings told selectmen.

Giant Steps was a school for children and adults with learning and developmental disorders that operated for nearly 30 years before it was shuttered over the summer, with officials citing difficulties related to the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the closure.

First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick referred to the roughly 18,000-square-foot school building on Barberry Road as “basically a turnkey operation,” with a kitchen, a gym and a relatively new boiler, among other features. A second structure on the site that is nearly 24,000-square-feet has been vacant for decades but could accommodate town activities in the future.

“At the end of the day, this is going to be a good acquisition for our town,” Kupchick said.

In order to move forward, the purchase must be approved by multiple town bodies.

Officials hope to acquire the property and complete any needed improvements by the end of summer 2021, in time for the new school year.