Neighbors Weigh In On Future Of Groton Heights School

The first responses to a survey asking what should be done with the former Groton Heights Elementary School are in, and neighbors said they want the building saved, the property to remain publicly owned, and the site used for educational or recreational purposes.

About 130 surveys were mailed to neighboring property owners of Groton Heights, and 19 responses came back. The town is awaiting results of an online survey expected to end this week.

“We really miss the school,” said Hali Keeler, who lives in the neighborhood and serves as director of Bill Memorial Library, adjacent to the school. “Being a library next to a school was ideal. The kids used to come over there for projects and field trips, and we miss that relationship.”

Groton Heights, built in 1912, functioned as a school until just a few years ago. The town took it over in July 2007, after the Board of Education closed the school. It has remained vacant since. The school is situated on 2.6 acres between Smith Street, Monument Street and Fort Griswold in the city.

A group formed to look at the issue - the Groton Heights School Reuse Task Force - will recommend to the Town Council what should be done with the property. The group asked for a survey to measure general public sentiment. It asks questions such as whether the building should stay, who should own it, and what uses would be best.

The task force also reached out to the University of Connecticut, which replied on Jan. 14 that it is not interested in using the school.

LEARN, a regional education center in Southeastern Connecticut,  may offer one option. The group toured the building in December and is evaluating whether it can be used, said Janet Downs, member of the task force. LEARN is also the developing the Marine Science Magnet High School at Groton’s former Eastern Point School.

The structure of Groton Heights is considered solid despite its age, and the site has historical significance. The first Groton Heights School was a wooden school built in 1888, and was called Groton's "First District Schoolhouse," according to Mayor James Streeter, town historian. The wooden school was replaced by the brick school in 1912, and the gym was added several decades later.

Groton Heights is also where Groton's first library was located in 1888. Frederic Bill wanted to build a library in memory of his two sisters, had purchased 1,700 books, and was given space in the wooden school for a temporary library, Streeter said. Bill later funded construction of what is now Bill Memorial Library.

Erica Korenkiewicz, who lives across the street from Groton Heights, said she wants the building to stay.

“That’s the kindergarten my mother went to,” she said. “I think (the building) could be used for something. I think it could be beneficial.”