6/14/2012 - West Side Leader
     

The Richfield Elementary School property will be sold now that the Revere Local Schools Board of Education has voted to approve a resolution amending a previous sale agreement for the property.

The board voted on that and an arbitration settlement with its teachers’ union during a special meeting June 7, according to Treasurer David Forrest.

The board had previously approved the sale of the Richfield school building to LTC Realty IV and earlier this year gave the purchaser an extension of time to seek zoning approval for its intended use of the property, according to the resolution. The zoning change has not been approved, but company officials notified the board they would still proceed with the sale if all contingencies were removed.

The new resolution states that the company will pay $100,000 for the property, which is on 10 acres on West Streetsboro Road. Forrest said the company’s intention is to use the property for a high-end assisted-living and nursing facility.

According to the resolution, the purchaser intends to demolish the three-story original school building within 90 days after receiving permits. Forrest said the building, which is in disrepair, was built in 1939. There is also a single-story addition that was built in 1963 and was used until about five years ago, he added.

In a press release, district officials said the property was appraised in March for $510,000. However, that appraisal was based on the demolition of the three-story building. Estimates for the cost of demolition ranged from $441,000 to $488,000. When considering the cash purchase price and the avoidance of the demolition cost, district officials said the district recovered the appraised value of the property.

The board was unanimous in its vote on the resolution, as it was with the settlement agreement reached with the Revere Education Association, Forrest said.

The settlement is in response to a grievance filed by the teacher’s union that was going to binding arbitration, Forrest said. The district and union agreed to several points regarding the district’s collective bargaining agreement. The settlement established changes to the collective bargaining agreement for the period from July 1 of this year through June 30, 2015.

Forrest said as part of the agreement there will be no base salary increase for teachers, but step increases remain for years two and three of the three-year agreement. In year one, certificated bargaining unit members will receive a $1,000 stipend and support staff will receive $700, according to the agreement.

The agreement also includes increases to employee health care premiums in addition to a wellness program that can help employees lower their costs through five wellness categories such as being a nonsmoker. Employees can voluntarily receive a biometric screening or physician’s exam at no cost to determine where they stand. They will earn points for meeting certain healthy goals, according to the agreement.

Also at the meeting, the board moved to award a contract to Perrin Asphalt of Akron for pavement rehabilitation and improvements on district property in the amount of $977,000, to be paid out of permanent improvement funds.

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