Chippewa school board loses contract; old middle school goes back on the market
DOYLESTOWN – Gables Management Co. recently pulled out of the purchasing agreement for the old middle school property on High Street.
Chippewa Local Schools Superintendent Todd Osborn said by leaving the agreement, the property will go back on the market as the district awaits a new buyer.
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School board member Kyle Schafrath said the leasing real estate company explained it was terminating the contract for three reasons: subsurface rock found under the property, rising buildings costs and lower than anticipated market development.
Due to the nature of the contract – which was approved by the board during a meeting in April – Osborn explained, Gables was able to back out based on its findings from the soil and marketing studies.
“We needed to meet all three of those things and they had a window of which they could do those studies,” Osborn said. “... With that, the property is still for sale.”
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Board discusses options for transporting marching band instruments
Also during Monday's Board of Education meeting, several new options for transporting the marching band's instruments were discussed.
Osborn said no action was taken. The board instead opted to have Osborn gather further information – such as pricing and additional uses for any vehicles – before an official vote is held.
After an old trailer was found unusable two years ago, Osborn said, the marching band has been using a school bus to transport its instruments and equipment to and from football games and competitions.
With the help of the new marching band Director Chris Jones and the Serpentini Chevrolet car dealership, the program recently found two possible options: a box truck and a trailer.
Although both present new opportunities, Osborn and the board were weighing the positives and negatives of each option. They discussed price, usability by other groups within the district and longevity of the solution.
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Osborn reminded the board they did not have to make a final decision any time soon but acknowledged that one would have to be made eventually if the band is to continue transporting its supplies.
“Regardless of the decision that we make … to have a strong fine arts department we need to be able to move equipment from venue to venue, and our stadium is not behind our high school,” Osborn said. “So every game we're traveling with this equipment whether it's to the stadium or to another facility.”
Other business from Monday’s school board meeting
District treasurer Ira Hamman said the Nexus pipeline settlement funds could be halted if a district in the Cleveland area decides to contest the settlement, and said he may know more toward the end of August.
The board approved Nick Hann as the new music teacher for grades five through 12. Hann recently graduated from Ohio State University and will assist with the marching band.
With the approval of House Bill 583, Osborn explained, the district will be able to hire substitutes the same way they did last year, which will help deal with the substitute shortage schools have been experiencing.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Chippewa Local loses contract for sale of High Street property
