CLEARFIELD – At a regular meeting Tuesday, the Clearfield County Commissioners opted to hold onto their only received proposal for the purchase of the Multi-Service Center. They then agreed to continue to accept proposals while also dropping the minimum asking price to $500,000 for the building.
In an Aug. 4 letter, Jeff S. Long, owner of Graystone Court and developer of the Colonial Courtyard, submitted a proposal in the amount of $126,000 for the building. In addition, he outlined his plans for the intended use of the building.
Long said that his intention was to completely renovate the property and convert it into additional Graystone Court apartments. If further studies revealed it unfeasible to remodel the building, he said they may tear down and re-build a new unit.
“You can rest assured that something positive for the community will come from our project plans and help put this property back onto the tax rolls for Clearfield County,” Long said in his submitted proposal to the board.
Joan Robinson-McMillen, who acted as board chairperson in the absence of John A. Sobel, indicated they had previously set a minimum asking price in the amount of $750,000. Because it was lower than the previously set minimum, she suggested that they “hold on” to the proposal.
Robinson-McMillen said they should also consider lowering the amount for the minimum asking price and continue to accept proposals. She believed they may want to reduce the asking price to more in the area of $500,000.
Commissioner Mark McCracken said Long had proposed an interesting project for the use of the Multi-Service Center building. For him, he said any proposal must add to the community on a whole as well as address needs.
“I think it meets those two goals,” McCracken said. He and Robinson-McMillen then sought input from solicitor Kim Kesner.
Kesner explained they could not sell the building for less than its fair market value due to the standards set forth in the county code. He indicated that they’ve had the building appraised on two occasions.
According to him, they received setting values of $780,000 and another for $350,000. He concurred, stating that it’d be “reasonable” to test the market again with a lower minimum.
“I don’t think we could find anyone to appraise it at $126,000,” Kesner said. At the board’s request, Kesner agreed to contact Long to explain fair market value and the limits placed on the commissioner’s discretion by county code.
Robinson-McMillen said they were thrilled by the proposal and looked forward to the consideration of other project ideas as well. She and McCracken said anyone interested in the Multi-Service Center building should contact them. All proposals must be received by 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 23 in the county commissioner’s office.
According to a prior GantDaily report, the county purchased the Gray building for $183,000 with plans to relocate offices into the same from the Multi-Service Center. At a February meeting, Jerry Bankovich, Jr. of KTH Architects gave a presentation, stating a study had been done in 2000 on the Multi-Service Center building.
He said the study indicated the Multi-Service Center was among the worse county buildings. At the time of the study, he said they estimated it would cost $2 million over a 10-year period for maintenance and upkeep of the building. To build a comparable structure, he said it would cost the county $5 million.
“Ultimately, the Gray building was the best option,” said Bankovich at the February meeting. “The building itself is basically a shell.” He continued, stating that the building is structurally sound.
Bankovich said the building’s first floor would house the Clearfield County Commissioners’ offices, County Election’s office, Veteran’s Affairs office and Controller’s office and the Clearfield County Planning Department. He said the second floor would house Clearfield County Children, Youth and Family Services.
