Planned Sale Of Closed Schools Undergoing Review, District’s Lawyer Says

The Bristol Township School Board is pumping the brakes on plans to sell four of the school system’s six closed buildings.

School board solicitor David Truelove said during Monday evening’s meeting that the district has not yet moved forward with announced plans to sell the four buildings. He said “additional information will be further reviewed” as part of the negotiation process.

Officials did not release further information on “additional information” that has sprung up since the announcement last month. 

In September, the school board approved plans to move forward with the sale of the John Fitch, Abraham Lincoln and Lafayette elementary school sites to Renovah Construction Company for $770,000. They also approved selling Croydon’s Maple Shade Elementary School property to nonprofit Interfaith Housing Visions for $180,000.

The George Washington Elementary School site remains on the market and was never included in the preliminary deal. The district plans to convert the Clara Barton Elementary School into an administration, transportation and maintenance hub.

At the time and in the weeks that followed, the district publicly appeared to move forward with plans to sell the schools and their acreage. Officials said any sale would have to be finalized through the Bucks County court system at a hearing before a judge. As of last Friday, no date was set for the hearing.

School Board President Angela Nober reiterated during Monday’s meeting that the district still intends to save softball fields at the Fitch site. She also said new information has come to light that indicates a portion of the property is actually owned by the township. The Maple Shade property would likely include 55-plus housing for low-income residents.

Since LevittownNow.com broke the news of the potential sale of September 6, a number of residents have spoken out against the plan and even circulated letters in neighborhoods surrounding the closed schools. Rumors from residents and the release of concepts plans for one of the school sites have clouded the facts of the planned deal and caused confusion among some who have spoken at recent school board and Bristol Township Council meetings.

In recent weeks, district officials said the Bristol Township School District do not have the ability to force future property owners to build certain types of developments at the school sites and that would sit in the hands of the township and applicable local zoning laws.

The district has sought input from the community over the past two years and Nober has stated the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority, who marketed the properties, looked for developers whose vision matched ideas proposed by community members.

Many residents have questioned the seemingly low sale price for the multiple buildings and acres of land. At past meetings, both Nober and Truelove explained that the fact the developer would have to abate toxins and demolish the buildings was factored in the price.

All the schools that were listed for sale have been appraised, Truelove said.

During Monday’s meeting, officials said they tried to market the buildings, but interest was mainly only shown in the land and potential future development.

The district in the past has floated the idea of recreational or public use options for the closed schools, but Bristol Township and the county have no shown interest.

Residents on Monday asked for better communication on the future of the sites.