Fate Of Closed Schools May Come Into Focus This Month

September may be the month the public learns the fate five of the closed Bristol Township elementary schools.

School district officials have indicated in recent weeks that details on the future of some or all of the vacant properties may come this month.

The Bristol Township School District is working with the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority (RDA) to market the buildings and properties that house the John Fitch, Abraham Lincoln, Maple Shade, George Washington and Lafayette schools.

In mid-August, Superintendent Dr. Melanie Gehrens said interest in the various properties had been shown but declined to comment further.

District Business Manager Josh Sweigard came before the Bristol Township Planning Commission to seek input on the future of the properties in July. The commission offered recommendations that were similar to those offered last year by the community.

“The land needs to be sold and repurposed. We would ask that whoever goes in there promotes the health safety and welfare of the community … and does not present a drain on the township,” Planning Commission Vice Chairperson Kathy Geissel, who lives near the closed Fitch building, told Sweigard. She added that a community for elderly residents would be desirable.

Sweigard said the district is open to housing for older residents for the properties and will aim to preserve some small portions of property that are being used for community good.

Neighbors have complained that kids and vandals are breaking into the closed schools and causing problems. District officials have said in the past they are working with police and securing the buildings while maintaining the properties.

Several auctions at building have taken place, including one at the Washington school in July, and have cleared out any usable items the district could not repurpose.

Items inside the closed buildings that the district could repurpose were taken out or sold. Pieces like desks and chairs were more likely to be recycled into additional use, said Bob Maloney, the operations director for the Bristol Township School District.

During the auctions that brought several thousand into the district’s coffers, the most popular items have been kitchen appliances. Refrigerator, freezer doors and related items tend to be the ones that people bid higher on, Maloney explained.

The district has eyed demolishing at least some of the five older buildings. Bids for the abatement and demolition work make in at around $300,000 per site, officials said.

Last month, the district moved forward with plans to renovate the closed Clara Barton Elementary School and turn it into Bristol Township School District Administration, Operations and Transportation Center.