After being approved by the Board of Selectmen and the Legislative Council, selectmen are coming around to the final administrative requirement before commencing efforts to demolish the dwelling where 12/14 perpetrator Adam Lanza resided.

First Selectman Pat Llodra told the Board of Finance during remarks earlier this week that a town meeting to authorize officials to move forward with the planned razing of that residence will be held 15 minutes before the selectmen’s 7:30 pm meeting Tuesday, February 17.

Town offices are closed Monday, February 16, for Presidents’ Day.

The Legislative Council quickly and unanimously voted January 21 to authorize the Board of Selectmen to move forward with plans to demolish the home. Mrs Llodra told the council that there was no precedent or charter directive for such a specific action, after the town received the property for just a $1 conveyance from the mortgage holder, Hudson City Savings Bank.

The first selectmen proceeded in obtaining the approval of the council, as though the property was another parcel of town-owned land. Mrs Llodra told council members that the decision to raze the structure and allow the property to “revert to its natural state” was made after consulting with immediate survivors of the tragedy, as well as neighbors in the sprawling hilltop subdivision.

It is assumed that the property will eventually meld with a tract of open space that borders its rear exposure. Mrs Llodra also told the council that she is working on language that would direct future town leaders who might want to dispose of the parcel to transfer any profits to a fund that benefits the shooting victims’ families and survivors.

Finance Director Robert Tait initially said that the cost for demolition is coming from a special insurance fund set up with designated donations to the town following 12/14. Mrs Llodra said based on another recent residential demolition the town underwrote, she is estimating it will cost about $29,000 to demolish and remove debris associated with the 3,162-square-foot dwelling.

The Newtown Bee has learned that since the council’s vote, a local individual representing a state construction firm has come forward offering to perform the work and fully absorb the expense. If that offer comes to fruition, the allocated funds will revert back to the special insurance fund.