Centennial OKs Appraisals for District Properties

Within 90 days, the Centennial School District could know the "value" of several district properties.

During Tuesday night's meeting, the board authorized hiring George Sengpiel to conduct appraisals of the former Hart Elementary, which had served as Warminster Township's recreation center for more than 20 years; the current district administrative building; and some soccer fields located on Newtown Road, across the street from the entrance to William Tennent.

Sengpiel will be paid $2,200 total for the appraisals, which board member Mark Miller told Patch should be complete within 90 days. 

Miller said the purpose of the appraisals is to determine a "value" for the land. The board had not yet considered selling the properties, he said. 

If district officials decide to put any of the properties up for sale, supportive legal information will be included for an additional "minimal cost," according to an inter office memorandum circulated by Assistant Superintendent of Operation William R. Gretton III to school board members. 

Centennial accepted full ownership of the Hart Elementary property at the March 27 board meeting, months after Warminster officials decided that maintaining the WREC Center had become too costly. The Parks and Recreation Department is in the process of moving its offices to a modular building set up at the Warminster Community Park.

In 1988, Centennial allowed Warminster to start using the former Hart Elementary for recreational purposes, but maintained a clause on the lease that would enable the district to repossess the property. This clause prevented the township from making any long-term capital improvement projects on the building out of fear that a completely renovated building would be too attractive for district officials.

An attempt was made in 2009 by township officials to purchase the clause for $1 million, with $272,000 coming from waivers of fees for the high school construction project, and the difference from grant money that ended up falling through. The Centennial School Board agreed to reimburse the $272,000 in waivers at the same March meeting.