Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
The Bristol Township School District continues to review offers for the school system’s five closed buildings, officials confirmed to LevittownNow.com this week.
Since announcing their intentions to sell the buildings, the district has received about a dozen offers for the closed schools but only a few meet the district’s standards for sale, District Business Manager Josh Sweigard said.
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School board solicitor David Truelove said the district is “taking our time to look at every” option presented. A statement backed up by School Board President Angela Nober.
“We want to get this right,” Nober said.
The school board president said the district wants to get the most money and find a new owner for the properties that fits the community.
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The district is currently sitting on the closed John Fitch, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Maple Shade, and Lafayette elementary schools. The buildings shuttered more than a year ago but basic maintenance and security continue at the sites.
Previous offers that have come forward have been from a developer looking to building senior housing, a nonprofit aiming to open low-incoming housing, a company with plans for age-restricted housing or facilities for people with traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities, and the township.
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Neighbors who have spoken publicly about the plans to sell the schools have not seemed impressed by the proposals. The lone proposal that has received support has been the township’s $1.75 million offer to purchase the five schools. However, the township has not released a complete plan for the sites.
Bristol Township Council President Craig Bowen confirmed this week that the township’s offer still stands.
Truelove pointed out that if the schools were sold to the township that state law means that ownership would revert to the school district if they were no longer used or wanted by the municipality. According to state law, the “lands and buildings will revert to the school district if they are no longer being used for municipal or authority purposes.”
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The closed school buildings have fallen into disrepair and the new owners will likely have to tear them down. Each building needs to be abated of toxins for renovation work to be completed.
The district is currently opting for a private sale with court approval process. In the future, they can switch to a public auction or public bidding process.
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Sweigard said the district was no longer working with the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority, which helped them initially review and market the buildings.
The sixth closed Bristol Township elementary school – Clara Barton – is currently undergoing renovations to the Administration, Operations and Transportation Center.
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