Hempfield awards $730,000 demolition contract for former SCI Greensburg prison
Work could start in about 60 days after Hempfield supervisors awarded a demolition contract to tear down the former SCI Greensburg prison, said township manager Aaron Siko.
Supervisors unanimously voted Monday to pay Ritenour and Sons Construction Co. $732,000 to remove hazardous material from the buildings and demolish them. The firm was one of 22 contractors that submitted bids for the project.
“I’m very happy that the bids came in as they did and we’re able to work within our budget,” said Supervisor Doug Weimer.
The township bought the former state prison off Route 119 between Greensburg and Youngwood for $3.5 million with the intention of redeveloping the land. The 96-acre site closed in 2013.
Hempfield is partnering with Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. on the project. The township has a $2 million state grant in hand to pay for the demolition.
Bids were opened March 12. Contractors were asked to supply a proposed cost in three ways — for asbestos removal only, for demolition only and for both asbestos removal and demolition. Supervisors on Monday rejected all of the bids for asbestos removal only and demolition only.
That narrowed the field down to 11 contractors that submitted proposals for both asbestos removal and demolition. Aside from the winning bid, the price tags ranged from $1.2 million to $4 million.
“It’s been sitting as a public property for decades and now we’re going to get that back on the tax rolls and hope to have some kind of smart development there in the future,” Weimer said.
The medium-security prison was built to hold 900 inmates and employed 360 people. It closed in June 2013, with state officials citing maintenance costs and a declining inmate population. It has been vacant since.
It was sold at auction in 2015 for $950,000 to Carlisle businessman David Goldsmith, who later titled it to Verdant Holdings LLC. Goldsmith announced a plan to build a veteran rehabilitation center there, a project that never materialized.
The property was foreclosed upon in 2018 and later sold at a sheriff’s sale for close to $147,000 to Midwest Bank of Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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