The potential construction of an embankment could mean thousands of dollars in royalties for Mars Area School District.

Justin Fox, vice president of Independence Excavating Inc., presented plans for the proposed embankment at Tuesday night's board meeting.

Fox, who lives in Middlesex Township, came before the board with a proposal for raising the level of the land north of Route 228 behind the district ball field near Officer Edward Brooks Drive.

“This is an embankment concept,” Fox said. “What we propose to do — or are asking your permission to do — is fill that area with dirt.”

The land is “wooded,” according to Fox. He said the dirt would need to be certified clean earth and would most likely come from the Balls Bend work site.

Independence Excavating is the contractor for the project that aims to widen and straighten the stretch of Route 228 from Route 8 to roughly the Mars Area school buildings.

Fox said some of the fill could be from other sources in order to fill the company's contract with the district, if such a contract is signed.

“You will end up with a flat 'tabletop' there,” Fox said. “It's a blank canvas.”

He estimated the site would amount to an extra 6 or 7 acres of usable land for the district, such as for extra parking or playing fields.

The embankment construction would include a royalty payment to the district of $1 per cubic yard for every cubic yard that's placed.

This means the district would get between $100,000 and $150,000 in royalties, according to Fox.

The project would also include the installation of a haul road behind the ball field. Fox said this would provide access to the embankment and would include items such as barricading for safety during construction.

If started tomorrow, Fox said the permitting process would take at least 90 days.

However, accounting for engineering and other factors surrounding the project, means it could take hundreds of days to complete.

“You could be out past a year,” Fox said.

Board members discussed the potential for the embankment, including what it might mean for future use of the land.

The board anticipates having a formal agreement for the project on the June 1 agenda.