School Board tables discussion of selling two buildings
Burlington Free Press
Published: Friday, November 17, 2006
By Jill Fahy
Free Press Staff Writer
Legal wrangling over the use of the former Taft Elementary School prompted the Burlington School Board this week to delay for another year its plans to sell the building .
Last fall, the board agreed that selling Taft on South Williams Street and the Ira Allen building on Colchester Avenue would save the district $450,000 a year in personnel and building maintenance costs. The plan, which was part of a failed proposal to close Barnes Elementary School, would have relieved the district of two of its 19 district buildings and put a dent in its budgetary problems, according to administrators.
A lawsuit filed by two homeless men in September in Chittenden Probate Court claims the city is no longer using the building original owner Elihu Taft bequeathed to it for school purposes -- as was laid out in Taft's will -- so the property should be used as a home for old, indigent men -- as was also spelled out in the will. The case is in Probate Court, so the board agreed it couldn't move forward with its plans to sell until the legal issues are solved.
The board Tuesday also tabled a discussion until January on how to proceed with the sale of the Ira Allen building after its members argued the pros and cons of selling the building this year.
Finance Committee Chairman Fred Lane recommended postponing the sale until next year because the district is dealing with the socio-economic integration of its elementary schools. Board member Katherine Connolly disagreed with Lane, arguing that the board promised voters last year it would deal with its financial difficulties.
"I'm concerned that we can't afford to lose the voters' confidence right now, I think that would really hurt us," Connolly said.
District Superintendent Jeanne Collins agreed with the decision to hold off on any decisions until January. She said selling Ira Allen before it figures out what to do with the elementary schools is premature.
"I think the delay is appropriate. We need to look at the district as a whole and utilize buildings more strategically," Collins said. "To move too fast on two of them could mean entering dangerous waters."
The Ira Allen Building, at 150 Colchester Ave., is home to the district's administrative offices and a special-education program for 3- to 5-year-olds with disabilities. Fletcher Allen also rents part of the building for an administrative office and employee health office.
According to the city's reappraisal data, the Taft building is assessed at $3,333,300. Ira Allen is assessed at $1,475,915. Both buildings are located within the city's University Campus District, which is zoned for the development of medical offices, residential sororities, dormitories, private-sector housing and day care.
Contact Jill Fahy at 660-1898 or jfahy@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
