CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners returned a property title back to the Clearfield-Jefferson Mental Health Center Inc., a private non-profit corporation located at 600 Leonard St., at Monday’s special meeting.
In the deed recorded in 1980, Solicitor Kim Kesner pointed out that for whatever reason a provision existed, which automatically returned the property back to the county in 1991.
The CJMHC wanted to pursue improvements to its property but recently wasn’t able to secure a loan. The property was being assessed to the county, said Commissioner Chairperson Joan Robinson-McMillen.
She said the board wants to ensure property is being assigned the correct title, and they’re taking a look at that owned by the county. Commissioner John A. Sobel said title flaws are more common than people realize with many attorneys involved throughout the course of the process.
Kesner also called attention to a small, triangular-shaped piece of property that’s located near the CJMHC property. Robinson-McMillen said it wasn’t large enough to build on with some setbacks, and the county wasn’t transferring it with the piece to CJMHC.
“The county must get fair market value for the property,” she said. Kesner said there hasn’t been a recent survey of the Multi-Service Center property, and it needs to be updated.
The commissioners approved for the Multi-Service Center property as well as the triangular piece to be surveyed by Curry & Associates. The surveying services are not to exceed $1,500.
Robinson-McMillen said three county offices are in the process of vacating the Multi-Service Center building. Magisterial District Judge Richard Ireland’s office has started to move to the CP Realty building, and the state must come in and move the computer system, she said.
The board approved a lease agreement with the Clearfield County Economic Development Corp. for Suite 1, which will house the Penn State Cooperative Extension and provide storage for county records.
According to Robinson-McMillen, the county will not pay rent; instead, it will only pay for utilities and its share of the taxes. Although it’s not under the county’s umbrella, its code mandates that the county provide office space to the Penn State Cooperative Extension.
She said space existed in Suite 4 at the CCEDC, which is currently leased by Hydro-Spray Wash Systems Inc. Pending approval by Kesner, the county agreed to a sublease for utilities only and plans for the Clearfield County Conservation District to relocate there.