Peters Twp. council rejects bid for upgrades to old school
When Peters Township officials were discussing the acquisition of the old Bower Hill School in 2013, council member Frank Arcuri warned against preservation efforts becoming a money pit.
With a low bid of $125,300 for repairs to stabilize the structure and repair the roof and wall, council as a whole is taking his advice, rejecting the bid at its Oct. 24 meeting.
“I wasn’t willing to spend the $6,000 when we bought the building,” Arcuri said prior to the unanimous vote.
The township plans to sell the property on which it is located, across the street from the relatively new Bower Hill Elementary School, which opened in 1999.
Council member Monica Merrell asked about groups that might be interested in restoring the 19th-century structure.
“We certainly can approach those types or organizations that are out there to find out whether there’s an interest,” township manager Paul Lauer replied, “and we can do that separately or we can do that as part of the solicitation of bids.”
Arcuri, though, expressed skepticism.
“They don’t have the kind of money that they’re going to need to preserve this building,” he said. “That’s the problem.”
Two local organizations work toward the upkeep of a pair of historic buildings on Venetia Road: the Peters Creek Historical Society, with the 200-year-old Enoch Wright House, and the Venetia Heritage Society, which maintains the former Venetia School, built in 1926.
Both of those structures are in much better shape than Bower Hill. After its use as an education facility, it was used as rental property but has been abandoned for several years.
In May 2013, council approved the township’s public works department to clean the property, then placed a lien on it. The township purchased the land that September, following a council discussion as summarized in the official minutes:
“The building is in significant disrepair and may have structural and mold issues. Ultimately, the goal would be to find or create a nonprofit organization to maintain the site or sell it to someone that will use it in a manner that at least maintains the exterior appearance of a one-room schoolhouse.”
Bower Hill is one of the three original schools still standing in Peters Township. The other two, on Camp Lane and East McMurray Road, are in use as businesses.
Lauer said when the township puts the property up for sale, it should seek a price that covers the cost of acquisition plus the amount spent on determining the condition of property, a total estimated at between $15,000 and $20,000.
He also clarified council’s position on the sale:
“Our interest isn’t necessarily in maximizing the money we receive for the property, as it is to get back what we’ve spent on it, plus whoever is in the best position to viably maintain that structure.”