Decision on 1 W. State Street Sale Postponed Until July

Though a final decision on the sale of the 1 W. State Street property was ,  the Media Borough Council voted 4-3 to table the decision until a July workshop meeting.

Two bids have been received for the 1 W. State Street property: The $650,000 , the firm leading the architecture design for Blue Stone Developers, and the second, from Claudio Sandolo, .

"[There are] a lot of different components to the two different offers … [the council members have been] trying to determine what we feel is best for residents of borough fiscally and aesthetically," councilwoman Monica Simpson said.

Following the announcement of each bid, a minimum of a 30-day waiting period for public comment must be observed. The 30-day waiting period for the first offer from Heritage Design Collaborative has already been fulfilled, but the second 30-day waiting period following the announcement of Sandolo's bid will not be fulfilled until Monday, Township Manager Jeffrey Smith said.

Simpson said she believes the borough should accept Heritage Design Collaborative's offer of $650,000.

"I believe that [Heritage Design Collaborative's] offer best accommodates and fills the needs of that specific area, and from public input, ... residents have expressed interest in retaining the historic aspect of the building, and the township planner reports that the multiuse option for the property is a very sustainable option," she said.

Simpson made a motion to finalize the agreement with Heritage Design Collaborative, but the motion was not seconded.

"How can we act on this when the other proposal was modified?" councilman James Cunningham asked. "The whole idea was we would consider this at the workshop meeting in July. What's this all about?"

Simpson responded by saying that the July workshop date had been set because the 30-day wait requirement had not been met for Sandolo's offer by the June 16 meeting. If the borough were to choose Sandolo's offer, the 30-day waiting period would need to be concluded before a decision could be made, but if the Borough were to choose Heritage Design Collaborative's offer, a decision could be made that evening.

"Why is it a problem waiting till July?" Cunningham asked. "What are we doing? … [Why] do we have to ram it through tonight?"

"I think it's clear this is the direction people want to go in," Simpson replied.

Cunningham made a motion to table any decisions on the 1 W. State Street property until after the July 7 special meeting. Council vice president Monika Rehoric seconded the motion.

The motion to table a property decision until the July 7 meeting passed 4-3, with Cunningham, Rehoric, councilwoman Dawn Roe and council president Pete Alyanakian voting to postpone a decision.

Councilmembers Eric Stein, Peter Williamson and Simpson voted against the decision to postpone.

The special meeting will take place on July 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Borough's upstairs conference room to discuss the 1 W. State Street property sale.