Newtown school’s hopes to buy next-door property rejected

A Newtown elementary school”™s plan to buy an adjoining lot has been rejected by the town”™s Board of Selectmen.

Hawley School, which a few years ago faced the threat of closing in the midst of dwindling enrollment, had proposed last fall that the town buy the vacant 1-acre property at 37 Church Hill Road, listed at $450,000. The purpose of the deal, according to the Newtown Board of Education, was to improve traffic flow and overall security.

Although First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said that part of the security concerns could be addressed by mowing and removing overgrowth at 37 Church Hill, Newtown Superintendent Lorrie Rodrigue indicated the Board of Education was still interested in buying the property.