The building at 98 Bank St.
SEYMOUR – The town is considering selling the nearly 100-year-old former Center School building at 98 Bank St. to the Naugatuck Valley Health District (NVHD), the building’s sole occupant.
Town officials would not disclose a potential purchase price because negotiations are still underway. According to town land records, the building sits on 1.09 acres and has an appraised value of $1.02 million. It was built in 1925.
The building has been home to NVHD since 2005. The building has three floors. The NVDH leases two of the building’s three floors from the town for $16,667 a year, according to a 30-year lease signed in 2003.
The third floor of the building was previously occupied by the Seymour Board of Education’s central offices (the superintendent and supporting administrative offices). That changed in November 2022 when central offices moved out of 98 Bank St. and into a wing of Seymour High School.
Adam Bronko, chairman of NVHD’s Board of Directors, said the intent is for the health district to take over the whole building. He said NVHD has outgrown its current footprint.
Bronko added purchasing the building would have several benefits to the health district’s staff and the Valley communities it serves. NVHD was founded in 1972 and serves Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Seymour, Shelton and Naugatuck. It is the official public health entity for the Valley.
“We’ve outgrown our footprint in the lower level,” Bronko said. “Purchasing the building would allow us to move our staff – which currently occupy the lower level of the building – out and into new space in order to provide for a better working environment for our staff. The lower level would then be primarily used for storage purposes. Our staff is always looking for new programs to bring to the communities that we serve. Occupying the entire building would give us the opportunity to host community programs that we don’t currently have the space to host,” he said.
Since there are no town organizations left in the building, town officials said it’s time to sell.
Because the building is town-owned, the town has to hold a public hearing to discuss a potential sale. The Board of Selectpersons voted to hold a public hearing at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 17 at Seymour Town Hall.
They also directed the town attorney to enter into negotiations with NVHD “for the purchase and sale of the property.”
First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis said the town has been discussing selling the building for more than a decade.
“It costs the town between $60,000 and $80,000 each year to heat, cool and maintain the building,” Drugonis said.
Selectwoman Trish Danka agreed selling the building is the way to go.
“The big thing is the Board of Education is out of the building so the town has no reason to be paying for it,” Danka said.
