BUTLER TWP — The township’s zoning hearing board approved Wednesday night a special exception for the prospective owner of the former Meridian School building, said zoning officer Jessie Hines.

The action paves the way for the building to house a safety company that deals with protective gear related to electrical work.

Under township regulations the school, which is in an R1 residential district, is eligible for an exception as long as it complies with standards including no retail or walk-up traffic, as well as limits on noise and vibration created by operations.

“It’s not a high traffic or high volume (enterprise) like manufacturing, so I think it’s a good fit,” Hines said.

In March the Butler School Board approved selling Meridian to Sparks Holdings, owned by Michael Wright. He also owns 70E Solutions, an electrical safety business that tests personal protective equipment used by electricians and other workers. Wright intends to use the building to expand that business.

“We’re excited, we needed to be in there a year ago,” said Wright of the need to expanding the business, which has 12 employees.

The zoning hearing board action is final and doesn’t need approval by the township commissioners because Wright’s plan doesn’t include altering the structure’s footprint.

Before the company can start work on the building’s interior, Hines said, it needs to get an occupancy permit from the township. Wright hasn’t applied for that yet, and is waiting on a court ruling that would formally give him ownership of the building.

That ownership hearing is June 2 before Court Judge S. Michael Yeager