By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The Lawrence Township Board of Education is moving ahead with plans to purchase a warehouse in Ewing Township for use as the district’s maintenance facility.
The school board approved a resolution at its Feb. 27 meeting that authorizes Superintendent of Schools Crystal Lovell and Business Administrator Thomas Eldridge to take steps to pay $875,000 for the property, which is located on Spruce Street in Ewing Township.
The school district has been paying $80,000 per year to rent a warehouse on Olden Avenue in Ewing while school district officials have searched for a property to purchase.
The district has looked at several properties over the years, school board member Michael Brindle said at last week’s meeting, noting that “we have had the moving vans at the door.” But the deals never came to fruition, so the district continued to rent space.
Now, school district officials have agreed to purchase the Spruce Street property. The district has been putting money aside for several years in anticipation of purchasing a property, according to Mr. Eldridge, the school district’s business administrator.
The property that is under consideration is “very clean,” said school board member Thomas Patrick. It has three large garage bays and loading docks with large doors. It may need some modifications to install a fire sprinkler system, he said.
With the school board’s approval to proceed with the purchase, the next step is to work through the details. The resolution approved at last week’s meeting allows Mr. Eldridge and Dr. Lovell to enter into the agreement of sale and handle the details.

