City of Essex closes deal to buy Harrow High School

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Five long years of negotiations are drawing to a close with the announcement that the City of Essex is buying the closed Harrow District High School building and surrounding land.

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The city announced the pending sale last week and the terms of the deal should be finalized by Friday. The property at 45 Wellington Street is adjacent to the City Stadium, a park and a community fairgrounds.

“It’s been something we’ve been working on for a while,” said Essex Councilmember Sherry Bondy, who represents the District 4 area. “We weren’t sure if we wanted the building and the land, but when the time came we had to buy the building with the land of the board because they are not cut. That is what we have been negotiating. In the end, we couldn’t let go of that green space. “

Needs a little cosmetic work and there are some leaks in the roof.

The school and approximately 13.6 acres of land are being sold by the Essex County District School Board, which closed the high school due to declining enrollment in June 2016.

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“The property acquisition is intended to expand current recreation opportunities in Harrow, enhance green space, and increase access to the property by directly connecting Pollard Park,” said a city news release.

Bondy has always wanted the building as a community center. She has already toured various groups through the facility. He said a nursery school, a theater group and a private school are among the interested tenants.

“The building is in worse shape now than it was a few years ago, but it was a well-built building,” Bondy said.
“It needs a little cosmetic work and there are some leaks in the roof.”

He noted that one wing of the school houses the newer of two boilers and has some other improvements, meaning that “one end of the building could open before the other.”

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The gym floor has suffered water damage, so making it usable will require some investment.

Bondy said the city will be asked to support $ 60,000 in the 2022 budget so that a consultant can assess the overall condition of the building.

“I don’t see it being a huge burden on taxpayers,” he said.

Bondy has a six-point plan to mitigate costs, including finding a naming rights sponsor for the gym.

As for the surrounding land, saving it as green space “is more justifiable” with new housing developments in Harrow and nearby Colchester.

He said the city already had agreements with the board to use the soccer field and a baseball diamond.

“If we had lost that green space, it would have destroyed our recreation hub in the city,” he said. “This community wants a fair chance to have something that other communities already have.”

Bondy noted the persistent animosity that remains over the area that merges with Essex and said this project “could heal our community like nothing before.”

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