Armstrong School District is finalizing a sales agreement with Tim Fouse Excavating to buy the 80,000-square-foot former Kittanning Township Elementary School and its 15.7-acre lot for $88,000.
The Kittanning Township business is located in the owner's home about a quarter-mile away from the former school on Silvis Hollow Road. Fouse said he will use the building as office space and may rent out space he doesn't use.
The school, which was closed in 2012, has a market value of $162,500, according to an appraisal done for the Armstrong School District in 2013. It is in a Keystone Opportunity Zone, which means Fouse will receive a tax break on the property through 2023.
School board President Joe Close said officials are glad to have the property sold since it was on the market for so long.
“We wanted to give developers a little bit of an incentive to buy this property by making it a KOZ, so I'm surprised it's taken this long to sell,” Close said. “It's one of the better properties we have for sale. It's a good location and a large site.”
In June, Rayburn-based CWM Environmental backed out of an agreement to purchase the building for $85,000. Since backing out, CWM Environmental purchased a 5.2-acre lot in the Armstrong County-owned industrial park and plans to build a 10,000-square-foot building to house its administrative offices and laboratories.
After selling the school, the district will have three properties on the market — Kittanning middle and high schools and Ford City High School, all of which will close next summer.
The board is expected to approve the sale of the elementary school at its 7:30 p.m. meeting Monday in West Hills Intermediate School in East Franklin.
Brad Pedersen is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-543-1303, ext. 1337, or bpedersen@tribweb.com.
