The City of North Royalton and the North Royalton City School District may be entering into an agreement for the sale of city-owned property. A tentative agreement has been reached for the District to purchase a portion of property that they currently lease for their buses. The property is located at 10789 Royalton Road.
Currently, the District houses its transportation department in that location, as well as the bus garage that is located next to the stadium, just behind the Board of Education building. With the purchase, that will all be consolidated to the Royalton Road property. School Superintendent Greg Gurka said that the District will utilize the building, as it stands. There is no plan to build a new bus garage
The property, owned by the city, is about 12-14 acres, according to Mayor Bob Stefanik. It previously served as a compost facility. The District has leased about three acres of that property since 2011 to use as their school bus facility. They have paid the city $60,000 each year for the lease.
The tentative agreement would allow the District to purchase that portion of the land, including the building, for the appraised value of $775,000. The payment would be made over a period of ten years. No interest would be charged. The city will place the proceeds from the sale into its Wastewater Enterprise Fund. “This is a great opportunity for the schools to save a substantial amount of money by not having to build a brand new bus facility,” said Stefanik.
The portion of the land which will be sold sits at the front portion of the property. An easement will be included, which would allow access to the back portion of the property. Stefanik said that the city will also be selling off the back portion of the property.
The purchase must now be approved by the North Royalton Board of Education and the North Royalton City Council before it can be completed. Gurka said that it could be on the January agenda of the North Royalton Board of Education’s monthly meeting.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer