Hempfield plans virtual auction of items at former state prison property
Tools, equipment and furniture inside buildings at the former SCI Greensburg property will be up for grabs as a virtual auction is being planned.
Officials are looking to liquidate the contents of buildings at the Hempfield complex before demolishing it, said Jason Rigone, executive director of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. The agency’s board last week approved an agreement with Bill Anderson Auctioneers to handle the sale.
All of the items will be photographed and catalogued in preparation for the auction, Rigone said.
“It’s going to take some time,” he said.
The auctioneer will take a percentage of the sales under the agreement. The remaining proceeds will be put toward the cost of the project. The auctioneer could not be reached Tuesday.
The IDC is working with Hempfield after the township last year purchased the 96-acre property on Route 119 for $3.5 million with the intent of clearing it and preparing the land for redevelopment. The county is seeking funding sources to pay for the initial phases of the project. Rigone said the goal is to start demolition in 2024, but that is dependent upon permit requirements and funding availability.
Early estimates are between $3.5 to $5 million for the demolition work.
“We’re certainly excited to get this process started,” he said. “This site has been siting vacant since 2013. Getting it moving is important to the township and to the county.”
The 350,000 square-foot prison was shuttered in 2013. It consists of the prison and about a dozen outbuildings.
It was put up for bid by the state in 2014 and a Carlisle businessman got control of it as the top bidder. He later titled it to Verdant Holdings, which touted a plan to build a $150 million veterans center there.
In 2018, the property was foreclosed upon after Verdant failed to make payments on a $5 million loan that used the property as collateral. It became subject to bankruptcy proceedings and was sold at sheriff’s sale to Midwest Bank.
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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