Photo by Sonja Reis
Motorists traveling along Forest Grove Road in Robinson may have noticed the former elementary school site is not only denuded of buildings but now also of trees.
Contractors removed 29 mature trees lining Forest Grove Road, an action not in accordance with the original plan they filed with the township. The trees were removed to allow storm sewer drainage to be updated.
Robinson Township Engineer Michael Meyer said the company was developing a landscaping plan to compensate for the loss of trees with more trees, bushes and shrubbery.
“I do think it will end up looking nice,” Meyer said.
A townhouse development is scheduled to be built on the site of the former Forest Grove Elementary School, which closed its doors in 2017.
Demolition began Feb. 14 and is now complete. Meyer said the next phase of construction is waiting on permit issues from outside of the agency.
The site is owned by the Kaclik Builders of Butler County, which bought the school from the Montour School District for $1.1 million in 2021.
A previous $1.7 million deal between Montour and Craft Homes fell through after legal disputes arose from an undisclosed utility right of way.