Yale Schools eyes sale of 50-acre property

YALE — Yale Public Schools has received serious interest from a potential buyer for its more than 50 acres in Brockway Township, Superintendent Kurt Sutton told the school board at its October meeting.

“We’ll see where it goes, but the caller appeared genuinely interested in the acreage and was checking with their financial person to make sure it could happen. It seemed pretty positive,” Sutton said.

The district has marketed the more than 50 acres of property along state Route 19 south of Yale in hopes of selling the land it no longer needs. District officials said many years ago the site was considered for a possible transportation building, along with other potential uses. However, officials never deemed construction feasible due to high infrastructure and building costs.

Bids were accepted through Oct. 30, and the board could take action if any reasonable offers were received. Sutton said there had been several inquiries about the property, but only one caller appeared truly interested in pursuing a deal.

Work has begun to supply electrical service near the high school track, where new lights are being installed in preparation for on-campus football games. For decades, the team has played on the natural grass field at Yale City Park.

The controversial decision came after school officials decided money would be better spent developing a playing field on campus rather than investing in a press box, concession facility, and field the district does not own. Many former players and residents oppose the decision, expressing a desire to preserve the tradition of Friday night football in the park.

In August, the board approved $375,000 for field lighting, which includes new lamps and four large wooden poles. Sutton said officials researched lighting needs and found most districts use four poles.

School officials have been hesitant to say whether this will be the final year the team plays at the park. Work remains on the new field, including purchasing and installing a scoreboard, bleachers, and a press box. If the site is not ready for the 2027 football season, games will transition to the new field in 2028.

In other business, the board received an update on proposed baseball and softball dugouts. Engineering work has been underway for some time, and final cost estimates were recently delivered. The concrete structures are expected to cost around $500,000. The district is awaiting state approval to proceed.

The board also learned that costs continue to escalate on several bond projects, notably the high school HVAC system, with new projections topping $9 million.

“We remain hopeful the community will support the upcoming bond issue,” Sutton said. “If it is successful, we would be able to begin looking at some of this work and get it done, or contracted, as soon as possible to avoid further increases in costs. The costs of material and labor continue to go up frequently.”