School For Sale

From the BCCT.

Schoolhouse: 100 years old
Vacant: 20 years
Possible messsage: “We are watching you”

Schoolhouse going up for sale
By DANNY ADLER

Northampton officials want to sell a nearly 100-year-old school building in the township’s Richboro section.

The supervisors unanimously voted Wednesday night to transfer the deed of the Richboro Schoolhouse on the 1000 block of Second Street Pike to the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority. The authority will work to find a buyer for the 4,536-square-foot building and the 2-acre lot it sits on.

Any sale of the schoolhouse, which was erected in 1913 and has been vacant since 1989, needs to be approved by supervisors.

Administrators say having the authority work on its behalf may yield a better price than a public bidding process and will give the township more say in the former school’s future.

The supervisors solidified an agreement with the redevelopment authority in October, shortly after an Upper Southampton appraiser estimated the fair market value of the property at $530,000.

The exterior of the schoolhouse was restored in 2007, but the inside is trashed. Photos taken in December show damaged walls and fixtures smashed by vandals. Debris is strewn around, and an old blackboard is covered with messages, like “We are watching you” and “We’re all gonna Die!”

The state’s redevelopment law allows the Bristol-based authority to negotiate the sale price of real estate without seeking public bids, officials said. The October agreement says the authority will forward proceeds to Northampton.

While officials will be able to put limitations on different aspects of the property, from its use to aesthetics, any restrictions are likely to lower the market value, Supervisor George Komelasky said.

“Any time you limit what the purchaser could do with the property, the value would actually come down,” Komelasky said.

Township Manager Bob Pellegrino said 12 people have showed interest in the property.

Supervisor Frank Rothermel had opposed the October agreement, saying he wanted the township to hold onto the property and use the historic structure for educational and nonprofit use. He voted in favor of the deed transfer Wednesday.