Warminster Parks and Recreation Staying Put for 2012

The Warminster Parks and Recreation Department's three-month long decision making-process that mulled over the choice between staying at the or taking advantage of a and Centennial School District that would allow them to move its headquarters to , rent-free, came to an unexpected resolution when the school board announced during it's Oct. 11 meeting that they would advertise for bids for the sale of the property.

The possibility of moving the offices in January, only to be forced to find another new home at the end of June, was simply too much for Warminster Parks and Recreation Director Karen Whitney to consider. Instead, she and the township administration agreed to keep everything at the WREC through 2012.

Whitney stated during a budget work session at the township administration building on Oct. 20 that Leary and would be closed on June 30, 2012, an assertion that school board president Dr. Andrew Pollock flatly denied.

"All we are doing is seeing what we can get for it," said Pollock after the Oct. 24 meeting of the district's education committee. "If someone offers $100 million for Leary, we'll take it. On the other hand, if we get a $200,000 offer, we'll say no thanks. No decisions have been made about either Longstreth or ."

Regardless of Leary's ultimate fate, it's uncertain future has led Time for Tots and Memorable Affairs to maintain their leases with the WREC instead of joining the Bucks IU, Head Start and BARC, which moved to Leary.

The Centennial School District offered the space to WREC's tenants in July, saying that the just-closed school was in better condition than their current home. The sudden loss of those tenants threatened to create an unexpected $190,000 hole in the Parks and Rec budget, but in order for those services to move into Leary, the school district needed zoning relief from the township.

A deal was hammered out in a July 22 executive session between both parties that had Warminster issue a temporary Use and Occupancy permit for Leary in return for the opportunity to use part of the school rent-free for parks and recreation service. Despite the township's decision to stay at the WREC, the Use and Occupancy permit remains in effect.

With that matter settled, the next major decision for the Warminster Parks and Recreation is whether to stay at the WREC permanently, or construct a new building at Warminster Community Park. Either choice will require the township to purchase the reversionary interest clause that Centennial has maintained since signing over the lease for the former Hart Elementary in 1988.

This reversionary interest has prevented the township from pumping large amounts of money into keeping the WREC in the best condition. Expenses have been made to maintain the building and keep it habitable, but major renovations, such as a brand new roof, have been avoided.

As supervisor Ellen Jarvis stated during a , that retainer clause creates a risk of having the school district repossess the title for the WREC if a major investment is made by the township to improve its condition. 

A deal had been formed two years ago that would allow the township to purchase the reversionary interest from the school district for $1 million, which was one-third of the WREC's appraisal. The funds would be comprised of the waiver of zoning and permit fees for the construction of the new high school, totaling $272,000, and the remainder from the Bucks County Open Space Fund. Unfortunately, the Bucks County Open Space Fund never came through.

If Parks and Rec stays, that clause will need to be removed in order to replace the roof, for example. Township Manager Bob Tate said that the 2012 preliminary budget includes $30,000 for minor capital improvements to the WREC, such as painting, repairs to lighting and repairs to the main entrance.

If Parks and Rec decides to go to a new facility, the clause will need to be removed in order to sell the property for development and use the money to fund the construction costs.

The Warminster Parks, Recreation & Conservation Board will continue to investigate both options, and possibly come up with new ones, and present its recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in March 2012.