By Hiroko Sato
The Lowell Sun
GROTON, Mass. —The circa-1884 property comes with a small steeple with a cross on top.
The ornate trimmings, a cathedral ceiling and oversized windows are all indicative of the building’s history as a church. It could be converted into condos, a school or even a day care, because the zoning allows it.
And all that could be yours for $699,000.
But its direct frontage on Main Street is what makes it priceless — or so some selectmen believe.
Selectmen are calling a Special Town Meeting on Feb. 28 to seek approval for the town to acquire the former Parish of Sacred Heart building at 279 Main St. Their plan is to convert the 126-year-old building into the Central Fire Station.
The church, located on the town’s main drag on the outskirts of the downtown, should allow fire engines to more quickly respond to emergency calls, according to Selectmen Chairman Stuart Schulman.
Selectmen and Town Manager Mark Haddad have not released the proposed purchase price or any other details of the deal, saying negotiations on the property are ongoing. Haddad said last night, however, that the town has reached a preliminary purchase agreement with the Archdiocese of Boston, which owns the property.
“We are working on the funding scheme,” Haddad said.
The former Catholic church building is currently listed for $699,000.
Sacred Heart and the St. James Parish building in West Groton went up for sale in June 2006, when both parishes merged to bring all Catholics under one roof. Parishioners hoped the sale would generate the funding necessary to construct a new church building.
The merger also helped the Rev. Paul Ring take care of the two Groton churches while overseeing another church, St. Joseph Parish in Pepperell. Sacred Heart was worth about $1 million and St. James $1.5 million in 2008.
Sacred Heart-St. James and St. Joseph parishes then merged under a new name, Our Lady of Grace, in July 2009. The church has been looking for a location to build a new church with a minimum of 500 seats for $7.5 million since then.
Schulman said last night that the town has been looking for a new site for the Central Fire Station because the existing location on Station Avenue, behind Town Hall, makes it difficult to get in and out of the road.
The church, which sits at the corner of Main Street (Route 119) and West Street, is ideal, he said.
Groton has three fire stations — Central, Lost Lake and West Groton — plus the headquarters office off Pleasant Street.
Moving out of the current fire station would also free up the land for the anticipated redevelopment of Station Avenue, Schulman said.
At Special Town Meeting on Feb. 28, selectmen are also expected to propose an expansion of the Central Sewer District. Schulman would not say if the proposal is to add the church building to the sewer district.
Sacred Heart, which is on three acres, was originally built on the Groton School campus as its first Episcopal chapel and was moved to the current location. It later became a Catholic church.
The building’s appearance, which looks less fancy than some other Catholic churches, reflects the traditionally partisan community, Ring has said.
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