BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – A school building that the city is trying to sell should be converted into a shelter for elderly men, as called for in an 80-year-old will, two homeless men say in a lawsuit.
Elihu Taft donated property just down the hill from the University of Vermont for a school that until recently has been the Taft Elementary School.
The two homeless men say in their lawsuit that because the building is no longer being used for a school, it should be used for elderly men.
Their lawyer, Norman Blais, argues in a lawsuit filed in Chittenden Probate Court that Taft’s will stipulated that if the building was used for education, it should revert to a home for old, indigent men.
Although the city has not formally received the lawsuit and no court dates have been set, lawyer William Ellis said the city is complying with the stipulations in Taft’s will.
Court papers say that Everett Engles and Richard Terence Jeroloman are both homeless and older than 55. Blais said he researched the history of the building after seeing a legal ad seeking interest in buying or leasing the property.
“The more I read about Mr. Taft, the more I realized his wishes aren’t being fulfilled,” Blais said.
A number of proposals have been submitted to the schools for using the property, both by commercial and private groups, said Jeanne Collins, school superintendent.
“They’re all local and from large organizations to small, up-and-coming organizations,” Collins said. “There are a variety of fascinating ideas for the community; some are commercial and some are not.”
Alternative education programs are housed in the building. Office space also is rented to the University of Vermont and the Burlington Education Association. Collins and Ellis said those uses comply with the 1927 will.
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