At the January 6 School District of Lancaster Board Facilities Committee, District officials discussed the current status of negotiations with Lancaster Township to potentially allow the Township to develop an emergency services center on parkland leased from the District. According to Superintendent Pedro Rivera, the District is presently waiting for Lancaster Township to take the next step—at which point, Rivera said, the District would move very quickly toward a final board vote.
The ‘next step’ would be for the Township to submit paperwork to the District formally requesting the change in their current lease agreement. “It’s a little more ‘legalese’ than this,” Rivera explained, “But it’s pretty much just, ‘we’d like to change the terms of our lease.'” The request could then be brought to the board.
“It’s really up to them,” Rivera told NewsLanc, “Let’s say they draft this document tomorrow: They could bring it to the board in February. So both sides have pretty much done most of their due diligence in ensuring that it’s feasible—we can do it. It’s now just a matter of—kind of—doing it.” Regarding the district’s perspective on the Township’s proposal, Rivera said, “It’s really like we’re okay with how it is now, and we’re okay with them putting in an emergency center.”
Rivera noted that the Township has not turned in the paperwork because they have not yet finished weighing their options.
Zero-interest construction bonds could save millions
The committee also discussed the District’s plan to apply for Federally-backed zero-interest construction bonds, available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. According to Rivera, “We meet 90% of the requirements listed for these bonds, which we knew we would….We anticipated this opportunity coming.” Some of the aforementioned requirements include LEED-certified green building practices as well as the District’s open reduced lunch program.
The bonds, available through the Qualified School Construction Bond Program and the Qualified Zone Academy Bond Program, would primarily be applied to Phase II construction costs. If the District’s application is accepted, Rivera said, the no-interest bonds could save the District and local taxpayers anywhere from $2-4 million in avoided interest payments long-term.
