Summerseat is indeed a national treasure. However with Sharon Hughes and Marlys Mihok at the helm, we simply don't trust their intentions or motives. Being that both Sharon and Marlys are frequent visitors to this blog, would you kind ladies furnish the list of who is on the historical society board? We believe that some compromise needs to be reached and planned out properly so that the neighborhood, and Summerseat can prosper.
from today's BCCT:
School could become open space or development
By: Manasee Wagh
Bucks County Courier Times
The fate of M.R. Reiter Elementary School remains up in the air. The district could keep it, sell it to the county or to a developer.
M.R. Reiter Elementary School's fate is still a mystery, but school board members say its future should become clear after the completion of engineering studies and the exploration of alternate choices to house students.
Reiter, one of two elementary schools in Morrisville until a furnace blast made it unusable in December 2008, faces three possibilities, said board President William Hellman. The district could keep it, sell it to the county for open space, or sell it to a housing developer.
Board member Marlys Mihok suggested the board look into selling Reiter to the county to be used as open space. At the board's request, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson recently sent a letter of interest to the county director of parks and recreation.
The 3.96-acre Reiter property would expand the green space around Summerseat, a National Historic Landmark on Hillcrest and Legion Avenues that once served as Gen. George Washington's headquarters. Declaration of Independence and Constitution signers Robert Morris and George Clymer both lived in the home, which was restored in 1931 and served for a time as a school administration building. Today, the Historic Morrisville Society maintains Summerseat.
Board member Robin Reithmeyer and board candidate Damon Miller said they'd rather sell Reiter to a housing developer to generate tax revenue. They also expressed concern that the county may give the district less than the property is worth.
Mihok said she opposes selling Reiter to a housing developer, even if it would mean another source of taxes for the district.
"To surround the historic landmark with townhouses or McMansions would be bad. Summerseat deserves to have that extra land around it," said Mihok. "And I thought this would be good opportunity for the town and the children to have more space."
In December 2006, Reiter's "as-is" value was set at close to $1 million by one appraiser, said district business administrator Paul DeAngelo. However, he added, "You never know what it might be worth in today's economy."
At this point, the board is waiting for a response from the county about how much it could offer for the land as open space. Until it gets that estimate, the board can't decide what should be done with the property, said Hellman.
"The letter [that was] sent to the county is a letter of interest. The board has not made a decision on that property," he e-mailed. "I am open to suggestions from the public on what to do with the property."
Hellman said he opposes building a new elementary school on the Reiter property, an idea floating around the community. The project would increase taxes by about $2,220 per home per year, Hellmann said.
Some residents say they like the idea of using Manor Park, a former district elementary school, because it would afford more alternatives, especially now that Reiter students have been relocated to Grandview Elementary School and the high school.
"It would alleviate the situation with having younger grades in the high school, and it'd be more permanent housing," said Miller.
The district still owns Manor Park, located at Penn and Cleveland avenues, but has been leasing it to the Bucks County Head Start program for preschool children since 1999.
Head Start has a 20-year lease with the option to purchase, but the district could try to renegotiate the lease to reclaim the property, said DeAngelo. "But we're also sensitive to the fact that Head Start is a county-wide program," he said.
Meanwhile, engineers from Vitetta, the firm handling renovations at the high school and Grandview, are in the midst of a comparative study of Reiter, Grandview and Manor Park.
Location, building condition, renovation costs, layout and size are some of the factors the board needs to consider as it determines how best to use - or not use - each building in the coming years, officials said.
"After getting all the information, we can make a reasonably intelligent decision," said board member Jack Buckman.October 2, 2009 2:20 AM-->
