WEST PIKELAND TWP, PA — West Pikeland Township supervisors voted 3-2 Monday to solicit bids for a municipal property occupied by SALT Performing Arts, putting the theater company’s future at risk just over a year after it completed approximately $400,000 in renovations, according to reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The October 19 vote authorizes the township to seek buyers for the property at 1645 Art School Road in Chester Springs, where SALT has operated since 2014. The township hopes to obtain at least $2 million from the sale to help finance a new police facility.
The decision raises questions about a 10-year licensing agreement that SALT negotiated with the township before undertaking extensive building improvements. Although the agreement took effect January 1, 2024, its terms reportedly allow the township to terminate the arrangement with 30 days’ notice.
Under the current bidding instructions, prospective buyers can indicate whether they would honor SALT’s existing license or prefer that the township terminate it.
That provision could leave the theater without a permanent operating location despite its recent investment in the property.
The supervisors approved the bidding process before allowing public comment from a packed audience, according to The Inquirer. After approximately an hour of objections, Supervisor Bryan Maher proposed requiring any buyer to honor SALT’s licensing agreement.
The board could not immediately amend the bidding conditions because it had already authorized the solicitation. Officials indicated they might reconvene Thursday to consider revising the terms.
Township Manager Joan Blatcher attributed the delay to procedural requirements under Pennsylvania’s Second Class Township Code.
“That is the best we can do according to the regulations, the lovely second-class township code that we all have to abide by,” Blatcher explained during the meeting, as reported by The Inquirer.
The proposed sale is tied to the township’s plans to purchase and renovate a property at 1001 Kimberton Road for its police department.
Township officials have identified the sale proceeds as a potential source of funding for the new facility, which would accommodate police operations and support efforts to obtain accreditation.
The existing property contains two buildings. Police occupy a smaller, single-story structure, while township administrative offices, a meeting room, and SALT share the larger building.
West Pikeland purchased the property from Historic Yellow Springs in 2005. Its location within the historic village and its historic designation have complicated efforts to expand municipal facilities, according to Blatcher.
The financial implications are particularly significant for SALT.
In 2023, township officials identified deteriorating building conditions, including a brick wall and skylight requiring replacement. SALT agreed to finance the improvements in exchange for a 10-year license at a fixed cost.
The agreement was reached in May 2023 and became effective January 1, 2024.
SALT subsequently raised funds for approximately $400,000 in safety improvements and renovations, completing the work in September 2025.
The project included a $200,000 construction loan personally guaranteed by SALT President and Artistic Director Lauren McComas.
“We knew we were rolling the dice in raising almost half a million dollars and investing it into a property that we did not own, but we trusted the township and this good-faith deal we made with each other,” McComas acknowledged in an interview with The Inquirer.
The licensing agreement gave SALT the right of first refusal if the township decided to sell the property. McComas indicated that purchasing the building was financially impractical after the organization had already committed substantial resources to renovations.
Blatcher maintained that the township had not anticipated selling the property when it entered the agreement.
In comments reported by The Inquirer, she emphasized that municipal officials were attempting to balance the theater’s interests against broader township obligations.
“I am not aware of a single person on the staff or Supervisors of the Township who want SALT to have to relocate,” Blatcher wrote in an email.
She added that officials had provided opportunities for SALT to seek financing or explore a partnership with Historic Yellow Springs that might allow the organization to remain.
Maher expressed support for preserving SALT’s presence while proceeding with the property sale.
“My priority here is that the community is built through the purchase of the new building and the reinforcement of what’s here — that’s SALT. That’s not this building,” he explained during the meeting, according to The Inquirer.
His remarks received a standing ovation.
SALT has operated at the property for 12 years, producing 90 main-stage productions and providing performance opportunities for more than 14,000 children through its educational programs, according to McComas.
The organization also maintains partnerships with Acting Antics, the Chester County Food Bank, the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Those partnerships include performances and community programs serving individuals with disabilities, families experiencing hardship and veterans.
During Monday’s meeting, SALT Vice President and Technical Director Rob Merow challenged the prospect of selling the building without protecting the theater’s occupancy.
“We’re simply asking you to not double dip on the recent investment that SALT’s donors made,” Merow argued before supervisors, according to The Inquirer.
McComas described the organization’s position as uncertain despite the possibility that supervisors could revise the sale conditions.
“But it’s still unfolding and nothing is certain,” she cautioned in comments to the newspaper Tuesday.
The township’s decision authorizes a bidding process, not a completed property sale. Supervisors could still modify the conditions before accepting a bid, including requiring a purchaser to honor SALT’s existing agreement.
For now, the theater’s continued occupancy remains unresolved as the municipality pursues financing for its police facilities.
Official township notices and bidding information are available at https://www.westpikeland.com/public-notices-bids.
For additional reporting on the proposed sale, the theater’s renovation investment, and residents’ response, read The Philadelphia Inquirer’s full article at https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/west-pikeland-salt-building-renovations-20261021.html.
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