What will this Centre County school district do with 119 acres of farmland?

When 119 acres of farmland bordering Penns Valley Area School District property went up for sale, school officials "seized the opportunity."

"I don’t think any of us really expected it," Superintendent Brian Griffith said. "We knew about it when the sign went in the property."

The school district purchased the adjacent property on Crater Lane in Spring Mills for about $1.2 million at a public auction on Friday, he said.

However, the school district only plans to keep a small portion of the land. School board President Chris Houser said the district will probably use less than 20 acres and then eventually sell the rest.

The farmland, which borders the west side of the high school and several other portions of district property, will be used to improve safety and public traffic access to various district facilities. One spot that Griffith said needs to be addressed is where the road leading to the athletic complex meets state Route 45. He said pulling out is "not ideal because the line of sight is pretty short."

The project will also enhance student walkways and the bus drop-off area, and possibly expand parking. There aren't plans to construct any buildings on the property, but Griffith said the board will consider all possibilities over the next year.

Because the district is in the middle of a major renovation at the high school, he said no immediate action will be taken on the newly acquired land.

"We want to give it due time to look through what options we might want to consider with the property before we sell it," Griffith said.

In the meantime, the district will lease the land for agricultural purposes.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 5:22 PM with the headline "What will this Centre County school district do with 119 acres of farmland?."