Phoenixville moves forward on elementary school project
“A judge is still weighing whether the Phoenixville Area School District can seize a golf course by eminent domain, but that has not stopped the district from moving ahead with plans to build an elementary school there. Last week, the school board bought a house at an intersection that will need to be upgraded if the school is built, drawing criticism from the club’s owners.
“It’s putting the cart before the horse,” said Bruce Campbell, whose family owns the Meadow Brook Golf Club on State Road in Schuylkill Township. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nobody does.”
The school board voted to seize the 50-acre property by eminent domain in November 2013 without telling the owners, which drew criticism but is legal. The owners have since filed an objection in Chester County Court, claiming the school district could have chosen a more suitable property. Stan Johnson, the district’s executive director of operations, said the court would not rule on that objection until March at the earliest.”
Nadolny, Tricia. philly.com 27 January 2014.