POTTSTOWN PA – The deal’s done.
The Pottsgrove School District announced it has officially signed on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia‘s dotted line, and agreed to an 18-month lease of the St. Pius X High School building, 844 N. Keim St., Pottstown PA, to house Ringing Rocks students during their school’s reconstruction. Terms were not immediately disclosed.
Word of success in the lease negotiations that took several months arrived by mail Monday (June 14, 2010) at most homes in the district, in the form of its “Pottsgrove Achiever” quarterly newsletter. “Ringing Rocks Students Move To Former St. Pius High During Renovation for 2010-11,” said one of four different headlines accompanying stories on its front page.
There was no question an agreement, for which Ringing Rocks parents had lobbied heavily, had been in the offing.
The district Board of School Directors, at its May 25 meeting, was told the two sides were close in settling contract terms. It authorized Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis to sign the lease once attorneys for Pottsgrove and the archdiocese, which owns the building, were done reviewing the document. The price previously was estimated by Business Administrator David Nester at about $366,000 a year.
Pius was formally vacated Friday (June 11) with ceremonies that included a Roman Catholic Mass. Its student body will start the next school year in Royersford PA, with the opening of the new Pope John Paul II regional Catholic high school there.
Now the scramble begins to ensure the Pius building is ready to accommodate Ringing students when the Pottsgrove school year begins Aug. 30 (2010; Monday). Landis has acknowledged the lease talks, which took longer than expected, somewhat delayed the district’s ability to begin preparations on Keim Street.
“We will be working closely with staff as well as parents to ensure a smooth, safe transition” from the Ringing to Pius campuses, Landis said in the Achiever article. “The safety and education of our students is a top priority. We think they’ll be very comfortable at St. Pius and it will be a great school year for them.”
As for the Pius staff and remaining furniture, equipment and materials in its building, they are being moved all this week to the Royersford property.
Related (to Ringing Rocks Elementary School renovations):
- Pottsgrove Signs Pius Lease For Ringing Students
- Pottsgrove Authorizes Pius Lease For Ringing Relocation
- Call Goes Out For Ringing Rocks Construction Bids
- Board OKs Ringing Rocks’ Preliminary Plans
- School Vestibule Design OK; No Decision On Rocks’ Relocation
- Ringing Rocks Plan Approval Held Until May
- Ringing Relocation Decision Deferred Again
- Township Legal Move Saves District Time, Money
- Economic Tales, Exec Sessions, And Long Night At Pottsgrove
- Geothermal Now ‘Locked’ Into Ringing Re-Build
- How Estimated Costs For Ringing Shape Up
- Less Is More In School Project, Planners Learn
- Bids Sought For Ringing Project Asbestos Removal
- Ringing Relocation Decision Possible In Two Weeks
- Restaurant, Ringing Projects Win Conditional Uses
- Ringing Rocks, Restaurant Hearing Topics Tonight
- Pottsgrove Student Enrollment: Up? Yes. Down? Yes Again
- Green Discussion At Ringing Results In Red Faces
- Pottsgrove, Archdiocese Still Discussing Pius Lease
- Ringing Rocks Relocation Discussion Set For Tonight
- In The Ringing Rebuild, Whither Pius?
- Ringing Rocks Relocation Plan: Modulars At MS
- Ringing Rocks Construction Cost Hearing Tonight
- Planners OK Ringing Rocks Land Sketch
- District Sets Dec. 3 Hearing On Rocks Budget
- Pottsgrove Asks State Help To Pay For Ringing Re-Build
- As School Opens, Progress On Ringing Rocks’ Project
- Surprise Enrollment Spurs Demographic Interest
- District Assembles Ringing Rocks Planning Team
- District OKs Architect Negotiations
- Consensus On Ringing Renovations: $16M
- Ringing Rocks Proposals Aired Tuesday
- Ringing Rocks Re-Examined April 14
- Pottsgrove To Trust-But-Verify On Ringing Plans
- Ringing Rocks Plans Take Another Step
- No Shortage Of Ideas At Pottsgrove Meeting
- Weigh In On Pottsgrove Renovations
- Framing The Rocks Discussion
- Response Mixed To Pottsgrove Improvements
- District Invites Public For Study Results
- A Different Rocks, But Only As A Concept
Photo from Clipart.com
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