Nether Providence panel: Demolish Summit School
NETHERPROVIDENCE >> Nearly three years after the township acquired the former Summit School property, an 11-member study committee has determined the building there is in such poor shape it should be demolished.
The township commissioners agreed with that conclusion and authorized the solicitation of bids for razing of the structure at the Plush Mill Road site.
“The board is seeking cost estimates and funding when an opportunity arises,” municipal Manager Gary Cummings said. “We may be seeking Community Development Block Grant funding in the
2019 funding cycle.”
As to what might happen next with the property, the study committee has recommended the development of new athletic fields and a playground; the construction of a community center; and possibly a passive park, bird sanctuary and/or walking trail.
Monies from such sources as grants would have to be secured before those ideas could be pursued.
Among those on the committee were two commissioners, Matthew Garson and Kaitlin McKenzie-Fiumara; planning commission member Bob Linn; a parks commission member, Steve Henry; and seven residents.
The panel held twicemonthly public meetings from March through October of this year and explored all possible options for the property, which the township purchased in 2016 from the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District for $925,000.
Options considered included complete renovation of the existing 28,500-squarefoot building, sale of the property and continued use of the structure as is. Several performing arts and community groups and organizations currently use the facility.
Factors that weighed against the last possibility were the size and shape of the complex – a main building with three pod sections; the condition of the roof; the presence of mold; energy-inefficient windows; and the cost of addressing HVAC and electrical systems in poor condition.
The estimated price tag for repairs and renovations was pegged at about $3 million.
“After careful consideration, it is the opinion of the committee that this existing building does not lend itself well as a candidate for adaptive reuse,” the panel told the commissioners during a presentation in October.
With respect to a community center at the site, the committee stated it was looking at a new 11,500-square-foot building, with the possibility of a 6,600-square-foot expansion at some point.
Linn, who is an architect, said the center would cost about $2.5 million. Other projected costs were $150,000 for a baseball field, $50,000 to
$60,000 for a basketball court,
$35,000 to $50,000 for a basketball court and $125,000 for a parking lot.
The committee listed the following possibilities for grants to help pay for the expenditures:
• State Department of Conservation and Natural Resource’s C2P2 Program – There is no limit on the grant funding, but requires a 50-percent\ match
• Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program — Up to
$250,000, 15-percent match required. Other state agency funds may be used as the cash match, including funds from C2P2.
• Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP): — A project must have a total cost of at least $1 million and requires a 50-percent match. However, funds from other state sources, including legislative sources, may not be used as match.
• State Department of Community and Economic Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Up to $250,000.
• County Conservation and Recreation Program: The township received $100,000 in funding from this program to assist with the purchase of the site.
• State Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program — Up to 35-percent of cost; it would require a 65-percent
match.
• Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant
• DCED Municipal Assistance Program (MAP)
When township officials in late 2015 disclosed that they had struck a deal with the school district to purchase the property, then-Board of Commissioners President Nate Much said, “This is a once-ina-lifetime opportunity. We simply can’t pass it up.”
Financing for the transaction broke down as follows:
$600,000 from money left to the township by a couple;
$100,000 from the state grant; and the remaining $325,000 from a loan from the township’s sewer fund.