Oct 3, 2016 By Suzanne Elliott 2 min read

Peters Township School Board authorized a demographics study of the district at a special meeting Monday night in an effort to determine what kind of facilities it will need to build at the former Rolling Hills Country Club to meet future needs.

Stewman Demographics LLC of Gibsonia will be paid $15,000 for the study, which will begin immediately and take three months to complete.

About 4,300 students attend the district’s five schools.

The district and the township filed a joint declaration of taking of the 190-acre site on Sept. 8. The township will use its portion of the property for recreational needs, which could include a community swimming pool. The district, meanwhile, is looking at 97 acres of the parcel for a site for a new school, including a new building to replace Peters Township High School, which was built in 1968 and expanded as the need arose.

“It is centrally located and appealing because it has access to two primary routes,” said Jeannine French, district superintendent, of the Rolling Hills property.

Because Pinehurst Land Partners, the development group that purchased the country club in late June for $8.7 million, said it would not fight the condemnation proceedings, the township and the district have title to the land, French said. Pinehurst has asked the Board of View to determine the value of the land.

Shelly Belcher, a district spokesperson, said that because of Pinehurst’s decision not to fight condemnation, the state Board of Education has asked that the district apply again for PlanCon Part C funding from the state to help finance its share and hold a second public hearing. No one spoke in opposition to the district’s plans. Joe Deegan, who was a member of Rolling Hills, questioned why the district was taking the action.

If the state approves the district’s request, then it could be reimbursed up to 46 percent of its costs.