ADAMS TWP — The Mars School District has approved an agreement with MHY Family Services to purchase 15.35 acres after the school board voted to take the land through eminent domain.

School board members voted 6-3 Tuesday night to approve the purchase of the land for $2.1 million after a month of negotiations mediated in county court.

Several district parents spoke out against the purchase before the vote, raising concerns about the district's treatment of MHY and the way it initially tried to obtain the land.

Eminent domain is a legal process by which government bodies can expropriate private property for public use.

“I would think if there is a need for this property for the school ... then an offer could be made by the owner of the property and if they don't like it they can reject it,” said James Henderson, “We have a group here, Mars Home for Youth, that is providing a service that we as a public school system cannot provide ... It really should've been handled in a better way.”

Jennifer McAfee argued that MHY Family Services deserved more respect.

“Mars Home for Youth has been in this community a long time ... upward of 150 years,” McAfee said. “The difference between our kids at Mars and the Mars Home For Youth children is they have been affected by some kind of crisis in their lives ... And I will stand up for those kids any day of the week.”

Others raised concerns about more money being spent on sports rather than education.

School board solicitor Thomas King specified that the money spent on the land will come from the capital reserve fund which cannot be used for operating costs and cannot be transferred to other accounts.

Dayle Ferguson, school board president; Rebecca Brown, vice president; Rita Dorsch, John Kennedy, Dr. William Pettigrew and Christine Valenta all voted in favor of the agreement. Board members Gordon Marburger, Steve Boggs and Bonnie Weaver voted against it.

Ferguson said that the purchase is an investment in the future of a rapidly growing district.

“Our community is growing, our school district is growing,” she said. “It's important to have vision.”

In June the district voted to take 17.35 acres by eminent domain. But MHY challenged the decision in court in September, leading to a month of negotiations.

The agreement resulted in the district purchasing 15.35 acres for $2.1 million. The board also agreed this would be its last attempt to seize MHY land.

District officials said the public would continue to have access to the park, and Mars will work with the Mars Soccer Club to keep its 2018 schedule intact and maintain its access to the fields in the future.