Court Okays Phoenixville School District's Golf Club Condemnation

A three-judge panel at the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court says Phoenixville School District legally used the eminent domain process to acquire the 50-acre Meadowbrook Golf Course land, district officials announced at a school board meeting Thursday night.

The apellate court upholds a ruling from Chester County Judge Jacqueline Carroll Cody, who rejected the objections made by the golf club’s owners in July 2014. The May 28 ruling also determined that the school district did not violate the Sunshine Act when it condemned the property.

Rising capacities at the existing elementary schools prompted the district to come up with the plan to construct a combined early learning center and elementary school on the site of the former golf club. The new building in Schuylkill Township will allow for the closure of the kindergarten center on School Lane and East Pikeland Elementary on Hares Hill Road.

According to a statement from the school, the $80 million project will continue moving forward, with the opening of bid packages in July. The district expects to award the project to the lowest responsible bidder in September, followed by groundbreaking in October.