Middlefield exploratory committee reviews Federated Church offering; seeks inspections and public open house

Committee Chair Ken Twombley opened a Feb. 4 meeting of the Middlefield Church Exploratory Committee and led a review of a realtor’s presentation on the Federated Church property, which the realtor presented with an asking price of $1,150,000 for two parcels that include the church building and an adjacent school building.

Realtor Joe Dattilo of Chozick Reality, INC. presented an Offering Memorandum and a ConnComp Real Estate Sale Data report outlining the two parcels and told the committee the Town Green and additional acreage owned by the church are not included in the sale. Dattilo said the properties share a well and septic systems.

Public commenters raised concerns about access and site conditions. Anne Olszewski questioned why the meeting was scheduled at 4:00 P.M., saying that time may make public attendance difficult. Sue Dorvilliers asked whether the church and the Middlefield Children’s Center share a well and whether asbestos is present in the lower-level tile at the children’s center; the committee noted asbestos inspection would be necessary to determine that.

Committee members and church representatives described the facilities as generally well maintained after a Jan. 21 site tour led by church members Ed Holden and Paul Bergenholtz, but they said the school building’s lower level needs attention. John Lyman III, speaking for the church, said the water is tested every six months because the building is a public facility and that the most recent test showed elevated copper; the church said it is exploring remedies. Members asked about mold and the church said it was not aware of testing or identified mold.

Questions about building systems produced these specifics: the church’s heating uses a split system with mechanical issues and a quoted repair cost of about $20,000; the elevator is inspected every five years and was reported to be in good operating condition and ADA compliant; and there are two 275-gallon oil tanks in the church basement plus a 1,000-gallon underground tank at the Children’s Center. Committee members also discussed three shared leaching fields serving the properties and an easement on the church parcel for the Middlefield Cemetery entrance.

The committee did not approve any purchase or motion at the meeting. Instead, members recommended pursuing a private inspection on behalf of the town, considering an executive session to discuss financial details and a possible letter of intent (LOI), and holding a public open house of the property so residents can view the site. The meeting adjourned at 4:50 P.M.

Clarifying details provided at the meeting — including the asking price, building square-foot figures, tank sizes, and the elevator inspection cadence — were reported by the realtor and church representatives during the presentation and Q&A; several technical items (presence of asbestos in specific floor tile, final remedy for elevated copper, and the outcome of any formal town action) remain subject to further inspection or decision by the committee.