Monroeville Schools buys land

MONROEVILLE — Monroeville Schools' board of education recently approved the purchase of land but has not settled on its use. Last week, board members met in a public session to discuss and approve several items, including a land purchase located at 84 N. Ridge St., adjacent to the school's campus. The land was purchased for $330,000 from the district's general fund, also known as the everyday operating budget, according to district treasurer Paul DeMarco. Here are some known details: • The property includes a house and a two-story outbuilding. • It connects to the back of the school campus property. • There's a driveway to Ridge Street. DeMarco and board member Greg Schafer said the district is still exploring options on how to use the land. "The district is in the process of designing a plan for the use of this property," DeMarco said. "As of today, the district is finalizing its plans and is not ready to announce the intended use." Schafer highlighted the outbuilding when speaking about what could be done with the land. "That building out back has a lot of different potential for different things," Schafer said. "I would be surprised if we did not split off the house and sell that out, but I don't know if we'll do that for sure. Obviously, it's not just my decision." He also highlighted the driveway as a feature to put to use. "Another benefit would be that driveway area that would offer access for the kids in the future, possibly with the addition of maybe working with the village on a crosswalk," Schafer said. There is no set timeline as to when the district will finalize its plans, but Schafer said over the next year or possibly sooner. Before board members approved the purchase, officials allowed community members to speak. One person, according to notes summarizing the session, raised concerns over the purchase. Schafer said this person was a parent and resident of the area near the purchased land. This person questioned speculation that the land would be turned into a main entrance for cars to use to get to the school. Schafer said using the new land as a main entrance was not something he had been in a discussion about and could not see it as a feasible option. Still, he could not say it was definitely out of the picture.