The Hanover Area School District plans to turn a "bargain" into a source of pride and opportunities for students.
School directors this week unanimously approved purchasing the Mondelez International office building in Hanover Industrial Estates and will consolidate the district’s four elementary schools into the new facility.
The district will pay $5 million for the “bargain sale” of the 180,000-square-foot building. With a bargain sale, Mondelez will receive a tax incentive for the difference between the sale price and fair market value.
“I just think this is such a great step forward for the Hanover Area School District,” Superintendent Nathan Barrett said.
Retrofitting the office building, at 50 New Commerce Blvd., Hanover Twp., is expected to be far less than the costs of building a new school or renovating the four current buildings, Barrett said.
Enrollment has increased by about 10% over the last five years, and the district’s four elementary schools — Memorial, Lee Park, Hanover Green and Lyndwood — can’t handle the influx, he said. An estimate to renovate the buildings and bring them up to modern standards came in at about $50 million. Building a new school could cost double that.
Developer Robert Mericle helped facilitate the bargain sale of the building used by the snack food company that was formerly Kraft. The sale will have "no impact" on employees, according to Mondelez, which confirmed the company would be vacating the building in early 2025.
"We are delighted that it will continue to serve a meaningful purpose in our community, and we look forward to seeing this space transform," according to a statement.
The building features four separate wings, with two grade levels planned for each wing: pre-kindergarten and kindergarten; first and second; third and fourth; and fifth and sixth.
Barrett hopes students will be in the new building by the start of the 2026-27 school year. The district will likely try to sell the Lee Park and Lyndwood buildings, but could repurpose the others.
The superintendent hopes to start a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) academy at Memorial, which would offer advanced classes for 200 to 250 students in seventh through 12th grades.
For Hanover Green, Barrett hopes to create a welcome center, which would offer registration for new students along with medical and dental services. He also wants to bring in an outside vendor to establish a childcare facility, which will help with staff retention, he said.
Board President Brian McDermott joined the board a year ago, and he and fellow directors looked for solutions for the aging, overcrowded buildings.
The Mondelez building — with a central location and ample parking — was the solution, he said.
“It's a win-win for the school district and the taxpayers for sure, so we're all pretty excited about it,” McDermott said.
