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DALLAS TWP. — Township supervisors approved and signed a revised agreement Tuesday to purchase the former Hildebrandt Learning Center Corporate office.

Supervisors want to make the 8,500-square-foot building, located at 105 Lt. Michael Cleary Drive in Dallas Borough, the new home for all township offices, including the police department.

In January, supervisors made an offer of $1.3 million to purchase the 1.5-acre property. The sales proposal contained a list of contingencies, including approval of a property-annexation request and securing of funding.

On Tuesday, attorney Thomas Brennan, who represents Dallas Township, presented a revised sales agreement from the sellers, Matthew Marceron and Hall Kaplan.

“The first thing we are going to be doing is the agreement of sale originally approved (in January) had referred to the seller as Hildebrandt Learning Center LLC,” Brennan said. “It is not an LLC. It is a partnership. So we eliminated that part.”

Brennan said the sellers also changed the requested due-diligence period from the requested 180 days to 90. During that time, the township must make all arrangements to complete the sale.

“Ninety days, in my experience, is a very reasonable due-diligence period,” the lawyer said.

The sellers requested that the closing occur one month after the due-diligence period.

“If despite good faith efforts we are not able to close in that 120-day period, we will have the one-time right to extend the closing date up to 60 days,” Brennan added.

The time frame will allow the township to annex the small slice of property from neighboring Dallas Borough.

“I do believe we can get (the annexation) done in the 90-day time frame,” Brennan said.

Supervisors also agreed to apply for a $1 million loan through the Department of Agriculture.

The loan would have a fixed interest rate for 40 years, Brennan said, noting the municipality will pursue other financing options if the federal government does not fully fund the Department of Agriculture and the loan is not available.

Dallas Township Supervisors want to purchase the former Hildebrandt Learning Center headquarters, located at 105 Lt. Michael Cleary Dr. in Dallas to relocate all municipal offices.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_Hildebrandt.jpg.optimal.jpgDallas Township Supervisors want to purchase the former Hildebrandt Learning Center headquarters, located at 105 Lt. Michael Cleary Dr. in Dallas to relocate all municipal offices. Eileen Godin | Times Leader

By Eileen Godin

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Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.