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Kennett staff to reconvene school authority to transfer deeds, protect $1.7M grant
Summary
District staff will ask the board to appoint six members to a reconvened Kennett Area School Authority to transfer property deeds to the district so a $1.7 million grant remains eligible; a public school authority meeting was advertised for noon Oct. 15.
District staff told the finance committee they discovered a technical ownership issue affecting property deeds tied to construction of a new elementary school and a $1.7 million grant, and they plan to reconvene the Kennett Area School Authority to transfer titles to the Kennett Consolidated School District.
Mr. Tracy said a third‑party state grant compliance review for the district’s $1,700,000 award (engaging consultant Stantec) showed the deed for the construction property was recorded under the school authority rather than the school district in mid‑20th century records. Because the grant requires the grantee to control the property, Tracy said the district needed to resolve the title issue to preserve the grant.
Staff said historical records showed a school authority had been used in the past to issue debt for school construction and at some point records indicated the authority was closed and property transferred to the district; however, some deeds remained recorded in the authority’s name and the named authority members were deceased.
Tracy said under counsel advice the board will appoint six members to the school authority at the board meeting next Monday and the board has already publicly advertised a reconvened school authority meeting at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in the district building. At that meeting the authority members will reorganize, appoint officers, and execute deed transfers to the district; subsequent deeds will be filed in the Chester County Recorder of Deeds office for a nominal consideration.
Tracy thanked district counsel Don Koehler and staff — including Dr. Brady, Caitlin Lester and Cassie Yang — for researching historic records and assisting the legal process. District staff said the authority members to be appointed will be district employees representing each voting region and that the action is intended to avoid lengthy court proceedings.
A committee member asked whether the appointed authority members could be trusted to sign the deeds; Tracy responded affirmatively and confirmed the public meeting date.
