Carey Holding LLC paid $3.2 million for the former Myers High School building.
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WILKES-BARRE — In a deal years in the making, Wilkes-Barre Area School District finally closed on the sale of the former Meyers High School building Thursday. District Solicitor Ray Wendolowski said the final step was routine and took “less than 10 minutes,” a quiet ending to a saga rife with emotions, protests and bitter debates.
Carey Holding LLC paid $3.2 million for the venerable building, shut down as a school after Wilkes-Barre Area consolidated it and two other old high schools into a new central building in Plains Township in 2021. Wendolowski said the district did give the buyer “credit buy backs” that reduce the final amount paid.
The credits arise from some work that needed to be done to finalize the sale, such as cleaning out the building and asbestos removal. Rather than have the district pay for that work, the two sides agreed that Carey Holding would do some of it and get a credit, or deduction, off the sale price.
The new owner could begin renovations by the start of May, Wendolowski said. Plans call for converting much of it into 103 apartments, 60 one-bedroom and 43 two-bedroom units. Some first-floor retail space is also likely.
Previously-announced plans call for preserving the auditorium — famous for a stained-glass ceiling depicting the seals of 48 states, thus showing its age — with some changes, biggest of which may be partitioning off the balcony for conference and office space for tenants. The main part of the auditorium is expected to be used for educational or recreational purposes for groups or organizations in the city who may need such pace.
The swimming pool, weight room and basketball courts are also expected to remain, with the addition of a pickle ball court in the space where the cafeteria currently sits. If there is enough community interest, membership for use of those facilities may be offered to those not living in the building.
The adjacent stadium, however, will not survive. The owners need additional parking, and the stadium turf area is scheduled for paving, creating 318 spaces.
The seeds of the sale date back to 2014, at least as far as official action goes. The board launched a feasibility study on consolidation of the three schools that deemed renovations too costly. In 2015 at a long meeting with passionate pleas from audience members opposed, the board debated closing Meyers and Coughlin, then took a brief break. Many in attendance started singing the Meyers Alma Mater. But when the board returned the closure was approved, with some board members voicing regret that they felt it was necessary.
Plans modified after that, but the end result was consolidation of all three schools, the sale of Meyers and Coughlin, and conversion of the GAR Memorial building to a middle school. Meyers and Coughlin were listed for sale.
Protests and legal actions against the sale and the closings were numerous, with a new “Save Our Schools” organization launching many of the efforts. But even a state review, granted at the request of consolidation opponents, did not derail plans. Nor did changes in School Board members, as new members sided with incumbents in moving consolidation forward.
The sale of Coughlin was previously secured. With the closing of the Meyers deal Thursday, a decade of community upheaval may be coming to an end.