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Board approves easement and $193,000 memorandum with Ritenour Real Estate for Lakeshore Drive intersection work
Summary
The board approved a set of easements and a memorandum of understanding with Ritenour Real Estate LP covering right-of-way and drainage work at the Lakeshore Drive intersection; the company will pay the district $193,000, and all documents were vetted with district counsel.
The Schuylkill Valley School District board approved, by unanimous vote, a package of documents that grant temporary and permanent easements and memorialize a payment arrangement with Ritenour Real Estate LP related to construction improvements at the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and an adjacent access drive.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) approved by the board specifies that Ritenour Real Estate LP will pay the district $193,000 as compensation tied to the construction and property adjustments required for the roadwork. The board also approved a combined temporary construction and permanent drainage easement and a deed in lieu of condemnation for the right-of-way; the solicitor said the latter avoids a realty transfer tax for the right-of-way conveyance.
Why it matters: The executed documents allow a private development project to proceed while compensating the district for land-use impacts, drainage modifications and construction-related inconvenience. The transaction involves right-of-way work where district property and school access are adjacent to the project area.
Legal review and project coordination
District counsel told the board the agreements had been negotiated with counsel for the developer and that the versions on the board’s agenda were the fully vetted documents. Counsel said the combined temporary/permanent easement included terms covering insurance, workmanship, clearance procedures for contractors on district property and efforts to avoid disrupting district activities where practicable.
Board members thanked the developer’s team for working to preserve trees and minimize impacts to school fields while achieving the turning-lane and drainage improvements PennDOT required. The board’s public comments noted the district’s interest in keeping field and access areas available for youth sports events.
Vote and next steps
The board approved the easement documents and the MOU by a roll-call vote of 7-0. The solicitor said a secretary’s certificate required by PennDOT or the Commonwealth would be attached to the recorded documents to establish that the board voted at the meeting to approve the conveyances.
Ending
With the board’s approval, the district will sign the easement and MOU documents and proceed with the agreement’s administrative steps; counsel and the administration said they would continue to coordinate with the developer and township to minimize impacts to school activities.
