HERMITAGE, Pa. – The city likely won’t take possession of the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory and its nearly 8-acre site for another year, time that will be spent refining the vision for the property.
Local and commonwealth leaders gathered at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory for an event Tuesday for the announcement that the building and property, which is being transferred to the city, will be known as the Kraynak Community Family Center.
Earlier this month, Pennsylvania lawmakers approved legislation to convey the property to the city for the appraised fair market value of the armory building and property, which Hermitage officials plan to repurpose as a community center. The armory is expected to move to a new building that is now under construction and should be completed by the second quarter of 2027.
“The beauty of that is we will have some time to plan what the building will do for the community and what we have to do to the building to make that happen,” said Gary Hinkson, Hermitage city manager.
The naming of the center recognizes the decision by George Kraynak, owner of Kraynak’s, which operates a retail store famed for its Santa’s Christmasland and Easter Bunny Lane Displays and a nearby lawn and garden center, to cover the cost of purchasing the armory.
“When George learned that the armory property would become available, he understood how important it would be for the city to gain control of the property for the benefit of the community. State law required, however, that it be transferred for fair market value, and that would be a challenge for the city,” said Mark Loingietti, Hermitage director of business and community development. In what he described as “an extraordinary act of generosity,” Kraynak “stepped up and committed the resources necessary to make the acquisition possible and to dedicate the building to community use.”
A February 2025 appraisal by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs valued the property at $920,000. Kraynak signed the letter of intent for the purchase a few weeks later, March 10.
Kraynak, whose father started the family-owned business with a small nursery in Sharon before relocating in 1949 to property in what was then Hickory Township, said there was no better way to give back to the community that has supported his business than something where the community benefited.
“The community has so supported us. It’s just been wonderful. It’s a blessing over the years” he remarked. “Our business has grown because of the community.”
Gary Gulla, assistant city manager, reflected on the history of the property and the “good neighbor relationship” between the city and DMVA. Back in the late 1990s, the school district, city and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources wanted to develop a community recreation facility on the property, which could only be accomplished with DMVA. The department agreed to lease the property that eventually became Rodney White Olympic Park.
A few years later, a municipal building expansion required further cooperation from DMVA to provide safe access to a signalized intersection at Pennsylvania Route 18, he said.
“The Guard as an organization is an organization of the community. The people that you see in uniform come here on the weekends and are here Monday through Friday are members of your community,” said Marc Ferraro, executive deputy secretary for the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs.
“Not only are they part of the community but the facility is part of your community, and we are very happy that we were able to convey it back to the community to be used by the community,” he added.
Both Pennsylvania Sen. Michele Brooks, R-50th, and Rep. Parke Wentling, R-7th, contributed to legislation facilitating the transfer.
“It’s only fitting that the next phase of life of this armory is to serve the very families that the Guard protects,” Brooks said. “Not only has this armory served our National Guard for a century, it will now serve the families and the communities for hopefully another 100 years, and with everyone working together, this truly demonstrates the great things that are possible when we all pull together and make things happen.”
The armory property occupies “an important location” near the Hermitage municipal complex, Hickory High School, the Shenango Valley YMCA and Hickory Fields, the former Shenango Valley Mall property, Wentling said.
“This project fits naturally into a larger effort to make the entire Hermitage corridor safer and more connected and more walkable,” he said. “This is what good community development looks like: preserving a valuable asset, improving safety and connecting the places that people use every day.”
The next step will be to enter into a sales agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, Gulla said. “It gives us eight or nine months to figure out the path forward,” he said.
Hinkson said he would recommend to the Hermitage board the appointment of a committee of stakeholders and members of the community to work together to develop a plan for the property. “We’re going to reimagine this building by renovating, expanding and doing what it takes to create a first-class facility to be enjoyed by all our community members, no matter what age, far into the future,” he said.
Pictured at top: George Kraynak speaks during Tuesday’s event.