By Andrew Coen
The April 11 bid submission deadline has passed, and although the Lawrence school board has been advised to keep accepting bids for the former Number One School property, it appears that a decision on the property could be made before the end of the month.
A closed board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night, April 25, and according to John Pujia, a representative of the brokerage firm Greiner-Maltz, which has been marketing the 3.79-acre property at 260 Central Ave. in Lawrence, a decision is expected then. Pujia said that his firm met with the school board on April 11, after the bid deadline passed, and discussed 13 possibilities for the property out of more than 20 that were submitted. Six of those 13 bids were considered viable options, which Pujia said he wanted to analyze before making his recommendation to the school board on April 25.
"I think there is a good chance we could make a selection [then]," Pujia said. "We would like to make a decision sooner rather than later."
Much of the interest in the property, which has been vacant since the Lawrence school board voted to close the school in June 2004 as part of a consolidation plan to save the district money, has come from condominium developers or parties interested in using the land for a school, an office building or a community center. Pujia said that schools that expressed interest in the property submitted bids substantially lower than those of the condominium developers.
Pujia added that there has been widespread interest in developing the Lawrence property despite a local moratorium prohibiting construction projects requiring high water use which has been in place more than seven months. According to Pujia, most offers for the land have come with the belief that the law will be lifted soon, and that since construction could not begin for at least a year, Lawrence officials would have plenty of time to settle the issue. Village officials have said they are in the process of determining how best to increase the capacity of the water pollution control plant to allow the moratorium to be lifted.
Despite the fact that Greiner-Maltz has advertised only the parcel where the former Number One School sits and not the neighboring Peninsula Public Library, many developers have expressed interest in building on the PPL site as well, according to Pujia. That interest comes as a result of library officials' exploration of a possible move to Zion Park in Lawrence.
One proposal, submitted by Inwood native Jack Rose, would consist of luxury condominiums on the Number One School property and a brand new, 30,000-square-foot library facility on the PPL property. However, the proposal, which would also include 75 to 80 indoor and outdoor parking spaces, with the property maintained by the Condominium Association, has too many obstacles to be seriously considered, according to Pujia, since it would require variances from the Village of Lawrence. However, Rose pointed out that his proposal has the backing of library officials as well as Ron Goldman, who chairs the PPL's Community Action Committee.
The Jewish Community Center of the Greater Five Towns also submitted a bid to construct a new facility, but according to Pujia, the proposal is not strong enough to be seriously considered.
According to Lawrence school board President Frank Parise, the board will meet with officials from Greiner-Maltz in executive session prior to its regularly scheduled April 25 meeting, and if a consensus is reached on a recommendation, the trustees will vote on the resolution during the public meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Lawrence Middle School.
"We want [Greiner-Maltz] to analyze each and every offer so we can come up with a proposal that will be best for the district," said Parise.
The selected bid would also need a thumbs up from District 15 residents in a referendum. According to Parise, the referendum for public approval, which is required since the school district is seeking a different use for its school property, would be scheduled for later this year, and would not take place during the May 16 budget vote.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
