Plan to convert old school hits roadblock at Dallas

SARAH HITE

shite@timesleader.com

DALLAS TWP. – The Dallas School Board on Monday night rejected a resolution to continue formal negotiations with and Radnor Property Group to restore the old township high school.

Misericordia President Michael MacDowell and David Yeager of Radnor Property Group represented an idea to turn the 1930s high school into a 50-unit student dorm and community day-care center to the board.

 The project would be funded by grants, federal historic tax credits and private capital from Radnor, and the district would lease the property to Radnor over a period of 50 years.

District Solicitor Ben Jones made a statement to MacDowell and Yeager after their presentation on behalf of the board. He said the board had its first exposure to the idea last Monday at its monthly work session, and that a week was not enough time to make a decision on the matter.

“That is a very uncommon approach,” said Jones. “The same amount of thought and public input should be put into this project.”

Yeager and MacDowell were asking the board for a resolution to continue negotiations so they could apply for tax credits and start the historical site application process. The historic federal tax credits and grants available for such a project are set to expire at the end of this year.

“The phenomena of these two (funds) being available at the same time in the future is unlikely,” said MacDowell.

Jones says the board is responsible for making decisions on behalf of the taxpayers, and it should have more input on the decision.

However, board President Bruce Goeringer said discussion will not discontinue because of this decision, but the board will not sign a letter of intent to continue with this project.