‘Beloved’ former Kiski Area school slated for demolition
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A former school building that served elementary, middle and high school students in Washington Township is slated for demolition.
The former Washington Elementary School at 4728 Route 66 was part of the Kiski Area School District. The school opened in 1927 and closed in 2013.
Township supervisors granted a demolition permit Jan. 3 to Tresco Companies of Salem Township.
Supervisor Joe Olszewski confirmed heavy-duty equipment is on the 11-acre property and demolition could take place at any time.
The property is owned by Tresco, an asphalt and paving company. Olszewski dispelled rumors the building is owned by Washington Township.
“We’ve never owned it,” Olszewski said.
Meyer’s RV, a New York-based RV dealer with a location in Washington Township, is in negotiations with Tresco to purchase the property, according to Meyer’s general manager, John Park.
Meyer’s has been leasing the land for two years to store RVs. The actual dealership is a half-mile away on Route 66.
Park said he is hopeful the demolition will be completed by May. He said the goal is to expand operations, store RVs on the property and, later, construct a new building.
Meyer’s has received approval from the township to build up to a 30,000-square-foot building.
For some former students, the news of the impending demolition comes as a surprise.
Janie (Fitzsimmons) Corcetti, 74, of Washington Township attended school there for six years when it was called Washington Township High School. She is a 1965 graduate.
“I felt bad when I heard they were tearing it down. It was a simpler and fun time,” Corcetti said. “We had dances every Friday night in the gym. And after the dance, we would walk to a pizza shop down the road.”
Corcetti said she frequently drives by her old school and has mixed emotions about the news.
“I feel sad, but time goes on. We have the memories in our mind,” Corcetti said. “Everybody knew everybody. It had a family atmosphere to it. It was a good place to go to high school and grow up.”
“It’s bittersweet,” said former student Sharon LeDonne Herbster, 74, now living in North Carolina. “I feel very sad because of all of the wonderful memories I made. I was a new student there in 1962, and everyone was all so welcoming.”
Herbster is a member of the Facebook page Washington Township HS Class of 1965. She said members have posted nostalgic pics and comments about what many described as their “beloved school.”
Washington Township does not zone properties. The township employs a land-use ordinance so the property could potentially be nonresidential or residential.
Attempts to contact Trescoabout the schedule for demolition were unsuccessful.