Date: Fri 09-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

FHH-Watertown-Hall-Montessori

Full Text:

Montessori Expresses An Interest In Watertown Hall

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Newtown Montessori Society has expressed interest in leasing Watertown

Hall from the town.

Officials from the school met with First Selectman Herb Rosenthal last week to

discuss a possible deal. The 32,000-square-foot building lies on the outskirts

of the Fairfield Hills Hospital campus. It was given to the town last spring

as part of a settlement over a 1991 lawsuit the town brought against the state

over the Garner Correctional Facility.

Montessori currently owns two buildings in Dodgingtown, but has been seeking

to expand its facilities for several years, according to Linda Hallinan,

chairman of the planning committee for the school's board of trustees.

"Fairfield Hills would be a wonderful location for us. It's about the right

size for us and the location is perfect," she explained.

Montessori, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Newtown,

had been looking to construct a new building in Bethel on Route 302, but its

plans were scratched as the proposed project simply became too

cost-prohibitive.

Montessori officials are seeking a building with about 30,000 square feet to

replace its current facilities, which are reportedly "bursting at the seams."

Also, the school wants to start a program for 18-month-old to three-year-old

students, as well as a seventh and eighth grade program. The school currently

has an enrollment of 125 students.

"We would really like to stay in Newtown," said Mrs Hallinan, adding that her

committee is aware of Watertown Hall's current condition. The building is

reportedly full of asbestos and lead paint, has a flat roof, low ceilings, and

is made up of about 150 tiny cubicles.

"We would probably just gut it, then renovate the building to the extent that

we could afford," Mrs Hallinan said.

Montessori is also interested in leasing some of the 22 acres which the town

also acquired from the state last spring.

Mr Rosenthal said a decision would not come any time soon. After all, the town

is still awaiting the deed for the Fairfield Hills building. The Legislative

Council would have the final say on any lease deals.

At one point, Watertown Hall was looked at as a possible location for town

offices. However, further inspection revealed that the old staff dormitory was

not practical for Newtown's needs.

"I don't see Watertown Hall being a site for town offices. It's not suitable,"

Mr Rosenthal said last month.

With the Montessori offer, however, Watertown Hall appears to be a resource

for the town, and not just a liability, as critics of the state's transfer of

the property to the town have suggested. The town must now decide whether or

not it wants to become a landlord.

"If we have the opportunity to turn a potential liability into an asset then I

think we should take a good, hard look at this," Selectman Joe Bojnowski said

Monday night.

Mrs Hallinan said she hopes the issue doesn't get held up as the town tries to

determine an overall plan of what to do.

"If we get some positive feedback, then we'd like to bring some people in to

see what kind of costs we're looking at to gut it," she said. "Watertown Hall

is not as classically beautiful as some of the other buildings at Fairfield

Hills, but it is still a very nice looking building."