Cottingham School Sells For $142,000

Easton Area School District sells former administration building for less than expected.

The Easton Area School District's sale of its former administration building has been finalized, although for less than what district officials had hoped. The school board this week voted to sell the old Cottingham School on Northampton Street to developer Abe Atiyeh for $142,000. The plan is to turn the former school into offices. District officials had initially said the building would sell for $200,000. That's because the building contains asbestos and an underground fuel tank that will need to be removed, the Express-Times reports. Last year, members of the public led by state Rep. Bob Freeman, asked the district to sell the building to someone who could turn it into a place that would benefit the neighborhood.

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Old Easton School Has New Owner

Developer Abe Atiyeh buys school office building on Northampton Street for $200,000.

The Easton Area School District's old administration building has a new owner. The school board voted Tuesday night to sell the building on the 800 block of Northampton Street to the developer, who will pay $200,000 for the property and turn it into offices. Board member Frank Pintabone said Atiyeh has put down $10,000 for the building. The sale still needs approval from a Northampton County judge. The building -- which was the Cottingham School before it became administration offices -- has been vacant for several years. Last year, a group of Easton residents asked the board to make sure it sold the building to a developer who would turn it into an asset for the community.

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Visions For Vacancies

What Should Go in Easton's Cottingham School?

The Easton Area School District wants to sell its old administration building. What would you like to see there?

In this week's "Visions For Vacancies" column, we're looking at the old Cottingham School on Northampton Street. It's been empty for years, after serving both as a school and as the Easton Area School District administration offices. In March, the Easton Area School Board voted to sell the building, but put a condition on the sale: the buyer needs to show a plan to "promptly restore" the old school. The question to our readers: What would you like that restoration to look like? What does the neighborhood need? Let us know in the comments.

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Public Pleads for Old Easton Admin Building

Easton Area School Board will vote next week on whether to sell building at 811 Northampton Street

It doesn't look like much now, but Easton's old Cottingham School could one day "anchor" its neighborhood, state Rep. Bob Freeman told the Easton Area School Board Tuesday. Freeman was part of a group of people imploring the board to consider the future of the building -- which used to house the school district administration offices -- before voting next week on whether to sell it. "What happens to the Cottingham building will have a tremendous impact on the neighborhood," Freeman said. "What we want is to see this building reach the highest best possible use." Located at 811 Northampton St., the building was built in the early 1900s, but hasn't been in use since the district moved its offices to Forks Township several years ago. Now that…

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Ronnie DelBacco

12:51 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

I support the school board voting to sell it. We have enough to worry about without another building issue. As for finding a "responsible" buyer...What will be the standard and who will decide it? I say put it out there and take the first reasonable deal. Move on and let the new owner develop it according to his/her desire. Free market strategies cannot work unless the reigns of government are …   more ›