Former church could be used for indoor recreation
A $1 million property purchase near an Upper Gwynedd park is moving ahead.
Township officials voted unanimously this week to advance the purchase of a former church property on West Point Pike.
“The township is still in the due diligence period, and is completing its inspections of the property,” said township solicitor Lauren Gallagher.
In July the board first announced plans to acquire 1908 West Point Pike, which is located directly adjacent to the township’s West Point Park near the corner of West Point Pike and Park Road. At that time, board members said a former church located there had recently gone on the market, was targeted in a township parks plan adopted last year as a possible acquisition, and could be used to add parking, tables and trees to the park, while providing indoor recreation space for parks programs.
Since that first vote, Gallagher said during the board’s Aug. 11 meeting, the township and property owner have agreed to extend the due diligence period to the end of August, and have developed the documentation needed to do so which was up for board approval. No further extensions are anticipated, the attorney said, and the process has been amicable so far.
Resident Linda Smith asked about the estimated cost of the purchase, and where those funds would come from. Township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell said the documentation spells out a maximum purchase price of up to $1 million, and “I’m not exactly sure how that’s going to play out” after the assessments authorized in July. The funds could come from township reserves, last calculated at between $12 million and $13 million, the manager said, with an additional $5 million available in the township’s capital reserves.
“The board will pass a resolution, if we move forward with the full purchase, that will allocate exactly where the funding is coming from,” she said
Resident Mark Connelly said he’s looked into a comparison the commissioners made last month: Montgomery Townships community and recreation center on Stump Road, which was built and opened in the mid-2010s.
“In 2015, they paid $9 million. It’s a different scope, that was brand new, but the challenge is: could you find a spot to build a brand-new building in this township? And I think if you were to do it today, it would not be $9 million, it would probably be $19 million, or more,” he said.
“If it turns out it needs $10 million in renovation costs, the township would probably think twice,” Connelly said. “If the costs to renovate just go out of control, then I think we’d want to consider. But when you compare to what neighboring townships have spent, I think this is definitely a reasonable proposal.”
After the board unanimously approved an addendum to the July agreement extending the due diligence period, the attorney explained a second related motion, stating the township’s plans to proceed with the condemnation and eminent domain process to acquire the site.
“This is being done as a friendly condemnation. The property owner is certainty aware of this, and is agreeable to going through the condemnation process rather than a traditional sale process,” she said.
The board then approved the second motion unanimously.
Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9 at the township administration building, 1 Parkside Place. For more information visit www.UpperGwynedd.org.
