Santos deal is history

WESTFALL - Following more than a year of negotiation and controversy, the Delaware Valley Board of Education announced last Thursday that they were abandoning their $7 million bid to purchase the Santo farm. The 118-acre property, abutting the borough line on both sides of U.S. Route 6/209, is said to be the largest remaining undeveloped tract in the Milford area. Board vice chair Sue Casey, who also chairs the board’s long-range planning committee, said the board decided to withdraw its offer after receiving the results of an engineering review of the property. Casey, who was a proponent of the controversial purchase, was clearly disappointed by the decision, recalling a conversation with the owner, who had expressed a wish that the property be used for a school. Casey said the engineering study found that only 12 acres were buildable on the river side of the property and “we didn’t want to tear down the farm buildings.” “I need 18 acres for an elementary school for 625 students. We can’t build the school we need on 12 acres,” she said. Casey said archaeological issues that arose during the study were a surprise to the board. While she did not want to go into details because the family is still trying to sell the property, she admitted the potential cost and likely delays in construction, given the findings of the study, were a factor in decision The district authorized negotiations for the property in November 2005 and agreed to a tentative $7 million purchase last September. Opponents, noting the district’s purchase of 331 acres in Dingman in 2005 for less than $3 million, have repeatedly criticized the cost of the farm property, much of which is in the Delaware River flood plain. School officials are seeking a refund of their $550,000 down payment.