Some members of the Warren County School District Board are pushing for a quick sale of the Youngsville Middle/High School building.

In our opinion it’s the right move.

Board member John Wortman’s suggestion to pursue a quick sale of the Youngsville building came after a school board committee approved the sale of the former Sugar Grove Elementary School for $75,252 to Jay Groves and Brian Horner. Gary Weber, district superintendent, said the bid is 30% more than the highest bid received the last time bids were solicited to sell the building.

The last thing either the school board or the Youngsville community should want is a building sitting empty for years on end. It’s been more than 11 years since the board made the decision to close Sugar Grove Elementary School, with the building finally sold in July. No one should want to see a similar process take place in Youngsville. It doesn’t help the borough of Youngsville to have no one in the building for more than a decade – and in a perfect world the building would find its way into the hands of a private owner so that taxpayers can see a little tax relief by adding a building back onto the tax rolls. The school district doesn’t benefit from paying the carrying cost of an empty building, either.

There were some who question whether or not the school district is moving too quickly by starting the sale process so soon after the closure of Youngsville High School. Some community residents wonder if a quick sale sends the wrong message to a community that wasn’t behind closing the school in the first place. But we can also see how an empty building sitting dark for years on end would be just as upsetting to the community.

It really is in everyone’s best interest to find a new use for the building — preferably under the ownership of an owner that isn’t a non-profit.