Riverside Schools versus Concord Township

By Contributing Writer on January 5, 2018 • ( 7 )

I sent an email to the Riverside School Board asking for an update on the problem with building a school in Concord Township, and for the scheduled school board meetings for 2018. We will start attending those meetings. (Comment: It is really, really unfortunate that Lake County taxpayers are paying the legal bills on both ends for this debacle. After reading correspondence from both sides, I keep thinking that there must be a “back story” that is not being told. If I am wrong, then the blame must be placed at the feet of the school board officials. I do not believe that it is the responsibility of Concord Trustees, or the Board of Zoning Appeals to ensure that the school officials comply with the applicable laws. There has to be some consequences for some poor decisions by school officials. I will see if I can get any update from the Concord Trustees.)

Here is the response I received:

Mr. Massie,

Thank you for the inquiry. As you may know, the district is currently in litigation with Concord Township over the denial of the conditional use permit by the Board of Zoning Appeals. We are hopeful for a quick resolution either through the courts or through settlement with Concord Township. Updates on the status of the litigation can be found on the Lake County Court of Common Pleas website, which can be accessed here: http://phoenix.lakecountyohio.gov/eservices/home.page.2

The schedule for the 2018 school board meetings has not yet been determined. On Monday, January 8th, we will be having our annual tax budget hearing, organizational meeting, and a special meeting immediately following. At the organizational meeting, the dates of the 2018 school board meetings will be determined. These dates will be posted on our Board of Education website on Tuesday, which can be accessed here: http://www.riversidelocalschools.com/BoardofEducation.aspx

Also, agendas for these meetings are posted on our BoardDocs website and are normally released to the public the day before a scheduled meeting. These agendas can be located here: https://www.boarddocs.com/oh/rlsd/Board.nsf/Public

Finally, the district previously released a statement regarding the Concord site that contains some good information and a sequence of events leading up to the litigation. This information can be accessed here: http://www.riversidelocalschools.com/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=6GGIPUY&dasi=3U30

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thank you,

Gary A. Platko, CPA

Treasurer/CFO

Riverside Local School District

585 Riverside Drive

Painesville, OH 44077

www.riversidelocalschools.com