Wrecking ball headed for Academy D-wing

With a unanimous vote, the Glastonbury Town Council approved the demolition of the ”D”-wing of the former Academy School Building, adjacent to Town Hall. Town Manager Richard Johnson said the demolition, which had been part of numerous discussions over the past several years, had been approved by the Historic District Commission in February of last year and cleared the process for buildings 75 years and older under the town’s Demolition Delay Ordinance.

The cost of the demolition is estimated at $250,000, Johnson said, in order to accommodate some of the Historic District Commission’s wishes of preserving tablature, bricks and some other aspects of the building.

Renovation of the D-wing had been considered for projects including a new home for Board of Education offices, but analyses indicated that the building did not suit the proposed purposes, and that it would be best to demolish it and re-build in its place. A referendum for a renovation project on that site had also previously failed.

Johnson added that the original demolition estimates were around $150,000, but further review indicated that in order to properly leave the connection with the “C”-wing of the building intact, more work would be involved. Possible asbestos cleanup will also add to the cost, but should remain within the $250,000 estimate.

“In order to determine if there is asbestos,” Johnson said, “we have to do destructive testing. That’s a bit of the unknown.” Johnson added that after the testing, the project will go into the bidding process and he expects the demolition to take place sometime this spring. What happens to the space next is still somewhat of a mystery. Rebuilding on the site has been proposed in the past, but no plan is yet in place.

“There are options that have been developed and discussed,” Johnson said, “and there will be additional options that are developed and discussed for a new building in place of that structure.” Those proposals will likely be brought to the council in the spring, as well, Johnson added.