The Planning Board is asking residents to attend its Dec. 6 meeting to talk about what to do with the former Lambertville High School building and about 17 adjoining acres.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE The Planning Board is inviting members of the community to its Dec. 6 meeting to discuss possible future uses for the site of the old Lambertville High School and about 17 adjacent acres.
Members of the board also would like to hear from anyone who can shed light on the site’s history, Chairman Timothy Korzun said.
"We would very much like for people from Connaught Hill to come down," Mr. Korzun said.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Justice Center on South Union Street.
Included in the discussion will be the condition of the old school building, the possibilities for redevelopment of the site and other issues, including the possible pollution of some of the back acreage where a landfill once existed.
"We want to do something that preserves the history of the high school as much as possible," Mr. Korzun said. "It’s a historic building. We know it’s in bad shape, but we want to salvage as much as possible."
The acres adjacent to the school sit east of Route 179 and behind Hancock Street. The school’s ball field used to be located in that area.
The stately red brick school was built in 1854 and remodeled in 1926. It suffered a fire in 1955 and another fire in 1992. At one time, the building housed light manufacturing.
Today, it stands an empty shell. Trees jut through the roof, wind blows bare vines through the wide open windows, window glass is nonexistent, and chalkboards are long gone.
Several years ago, a developer presented an incomplete site plan to the board that would have razed the school, constructed a detention basin in its place and built about 50 houses on half-acre lots. Final plans were not presented to the board, Mr. Korzun said.
Potential problems exist concerning who actually owns the land and what deed restrictions exist, according to Mr. Korzun.
But if the developer presented plans several years ago and has not sold the land since, doesn’t he own the land?
"That’s a good question," Mr. Korzun said. "It’s a mess. The short answer is we’re wondering who owns what."
He explained part of the site is owned by the developer himself and another part is owned by one of his companies. Complicating the matter further is the fact two more companies lost corporate titles by not paying taxes, according to Mr. Korzun.
Making it worse, one deed had a title restriction, and "supposedly, a later deed crossed the restriction out."
Redevelopment of the site also would face several additional obstacles.
"Most complicated of all is how to get water up there," Mr. Korzun said. Several options exist, "but none of them are really great."
Properties on the hill use well water. No public water lines exist on the hill.

