By Meghan Peterson, PhD.
(July 8, 2019) — First Selectwoman Lizz Milardo recently provided an update on Haddam Elementary School (HES) and where Haddam stands with respect to next steps.
Haddam residents voted to purchase HES for $450,000 from Regional School District 17 (RSD17). The school will be closing, but the building remains. The Haddam Board of Finance (BOF) has allocated three payments in equal amounts ($150K each) over the course of three years (beginning in 2020) for this purchase.
Milardo says that Bill Warner, the Haddam Town Planner, will give a presentation before the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) on Thursday, July 18, 2019. At that time, Warner will discuss economic development plans for the Higganum Center, including re-location of the Town Garage.
Noting the coverage and passion generated over the past several months regarding Higganum Center, Milardo says that the Town is “working very hard on revitalization of the Center.” She explains that in mid-April research was done on the HES property, and one of the findings was that “very good soil was indicated for implementing a community septic system.” Specifically, the soil in the playground and in the field directly behind the school have been identified as being “very good” for the purpose of a community septic system.
The firm of Fuss & O’Neill had previously determined that soil on the Town Green was viable, which led Warner to believe that soil at HES was also viable. Milardo says that based on Warner’s “experience with septic and sewer systems,” she “immediately acted on this important guidance from Warner” and “obtained permission from Superintendent Howard Thiery to dig a test hole of the soil during the school’s April vacation.” The Town coordinated the test with the Public Works crew and the Connecticut River Area Health District (CRAHD). The health department was on-site during the test dig. The key discovery here was that “the soil was of superior quality,” according to Milardo and that she wanted to get “this information out to the public” prior to the referendum which occurred in June. She continues, “viability of the soils on the HES property allow a more affordable option for economic development in Higganum Center” and that this find is “proving to be a game-changer in terms of bringing infrastructure and an economic revival to the town.”
Milardo adds that the “Save HES” movement’s message was loud and clear: transparency and community involvement in the decision-making process. To these ends, Milardo says that an in-depth community survey to gauge residents’ desires for future uses of the HES property is now available at the town website (www.haddam.org). Finally, Milardo concludes that “while I initially had concerns about the townspeople owning another empty building, I am ecstatic at the game-changing find on the HES property.”
Residents are encouraged to attend Town Planner Bill Warner’s presentation before the Planning & Zoning Commission on Thursday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m. (old Town Hall building at 21 Field Park Drive, Haddam).
