BEACON FALLS — The Board of Selectmen voted last week to have an appraisal done on Community School in Prospect.
The Board of Selectmen awarded a $4,500 contract to Shelton-based Sheehy Associates to do the appraisal.
The school, which is located at 12 Center St. in Prospect, closed after this school year. Students will attend the newly constructed Prospect Elementary School in the fall.
Since it will no longer be used as a school, Region 16, which oversees schools in Beacon Falls and Prospect, is looking to sell the building. The town of Prospect is interested in purchasing the property.
If the region and Prospect agree to a sale, they are the only two parties that have to get an appraisal. Beacon Falls doesn’t have to get one. Prospect has formed a committee to review purchasing the property, and hasn’t got an appraisal done yet.
The money from the sale of the school will be returned to Beacon Falls and Prospect.
The Beacon Falls Board of Finance strongly recommended the town get its own appraisal done to ensure the town gets its fair share in the sale. The finance board’s recommendation came after Region 16 received an appraisal of about $1.2 million for the property.
First Selectman Christopher Bielik said the next step is to get the appraiser onto the property.
“We’ll be coordinating getting him some points of contact with Region 16 to get access to the property,” Bielik said.
Bielik said there isn’t a set timeline for when the appraisal will be finished.
“I don’t have a time frame yet as to exactly when it is going to start or when it is going to be finished. I have heard that from the time he actually begins the process it takes four to six weeks. So, we’re hoping to get an answer by the middle or latter part of August,” Bielik said.
