On the heels of the Feb. 11 Special Meeting regarding the future of the historic Gilbert & Bennett School building in Georgetown, grant money is being sought to take a closer look at the property and what options might suit it.
Historic District and Historic Property Commission Chair Lori Fusco came before the Board of Selectmen on Monday, Mar. 2, to get approval to pursue some grant money from the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that can go toward a feasibility study and a condition assessment of the property.
“The first application is for a conditions assessment and the second is for a feasibility and adaptive reuse study,” Fusco told the BOS. “Together these efforts represent a structured and responsible approach to determining the next best use of this historically significant town-owned property.”
The town-owned G&B building is currently empty after it was deemed unsafe for occupation by the Wilton Health Department on Aug. 29, 2024, following intense rain that inundated the structure with water through an old, leaky roof. The Gilbert & Bennett Cultural Center, which had occupied the building for years on a month-to-month basis was asked to leave.
Though a town needs assessment completed more than two years ago made note of the need to repair the building, the town has yet to start any work. Instead, town officials have had informal discussions about trying to lease or sell the building, which originally was a gift to the town from the Gilbert & Bennett Manufacturing Company by way of the Georgetown School District, which originally included Redding and Weston.
Private Meetings Spark Concern About Building’s Future
Earlier this year, however, the BOS held a private meeting with representatives of the Twelve Gods Brewery, which has plans to buy and renovate the building to make a restaurant, brewery and cultural display.
In tandem, the Wilton Land Trust also met with the BOS at that same executive session meeting on Jan. 20 to apparently talk about a plan to purchase the town-owned acreage around the G&B building, including two town-owned residential buildings, in order to ultimately create open space with potential trails or activities.
The private executive session meeting prompted concern from several residents, including Fusco and other local historians, in part because there had previously been no public discussion about the town’s commitment to the building, interest in selling or restoring it, as well as worries about its deterioration.
“Again, to repeat — and I don’t know how many times I can repeat it — there is really no movement on the disposition of that building at the moment and we have made no decisions on it,” First Selectman Toni Boucher told the BOS on Mar. 2. “We haven’t approved any kind of offer on it. If there would be one, it would have to be something we would do as a board, but right now there is really no decision to be made on that disposition of the building.”
Asked why there was even a need to do the two new assessments, Fusco said that all the previous material on the building predated the rain event that shut it down and prompted a tarp covering that she described as just a temporary fix.
Boucher revealed that the Department of Public Works had come forward to her about getting into some of those repairs.
“I would like people to know that the DPW made a point of saying that they would like to move forward on at least repairing the roof and not allowing it to further deteriorate, which I would support as well,” Boucher said.
She said, however, that a full renovation at this time was out of the question.
“I think right now the most urgent thing is to make sure that the roof is secure and repaired,” she said. “How we go about funding that right now, that’s a matter for discussion of this committee. But overall, there’s no way that right now we can consider a $3- or $4-million project to do restoration.”
Gilbert & Bennett Ranked Last Among Capital Priorities
The discussion comes as town officials weigh competing priorities for capital spending. In rankings prepared by the Capital Planning Committee for the Board of Selectmen, a project to renovate the Gilbert & Bennett building placed last among evaluated capital proposals. The committee deferred making long-term recommendations while the town continues broader discussions about the future of the property and surrounding land, including whether it should remain a municipal asset.
Fusco acknowledged the possibility of imminent roof repair.
“I’m really pleased to hear that there’s some encouragement and enthusiasm toward at least repairing that in a better way,” she said.
Meanwhile, she asked the BOS to sign off on the grant applications, which she said she has already crafted and has given representatives of the SHPO for an informal review before they would be officially submitted.
Fusco said that with the conditions assessment report, “They will take a look at what’s going on in the building from a historic lens … Things that were written up before were not done with that lens. The second part is that it will prioritize what needs to be done and in what order,” also providing cost estimates.
“That should be the first one that happens … The second step would be the feasibility study … to determine what is appropriate for that particular parcel of land and for that particular building,” she said.
Two state historic preservation organizations have also weighed in, recently expressing support for studying the building’s future. Letters submitted to town officials from SHPO as well as Preservation Connecticut highlight the Gilbert & Bennett School’s historic significance and encourage the town to pursue professional analysis of the building’s condition and adaptive reuse options.
In a Feb. 6 letter, State Historic Preservation Officer Jonathan Kinney also offered what he described as a “friendly reminder” that Wilton became a Certified Local Government in 2022 — a designation that carries a commitment to consider historic resources as part of municipal planning efforts. The letter also noted that the state office can assist towns with technical expertise and grant funding for preservation-related planning work.
Fusco said the feasibility study will also look at the two other town-owned adjacent residential properties.
She said they are seeking the maximum grant amount of $20,000 to fund the two studies.
While the BOS appeared noncommittal about the grant itself — though the members expressed satisfaction that there would be no matching requirements from the town — two selectmen emphasized that they wanted to see the applications prior to approving them.
While she stressed the need for expediency and had hoped to get an immediate green light for the submission, Fusco told the BOS that she would send them copies the next day and asked that they grant their approval as soon as possible.
“It’s a planning grant, so there are no restrictions on it in terms of binding the town … There are no strings attached,” Fusco said.
This town….. why is it that a study is always needed? It seems there are endless announcements that a study is needed. As if we need to study the study that a different study was studied to then create a new study. Maybe I need to start a Study business. Good Lord….