HERMITAGE, Pa. – The city’s acquisition of the Hermitage National Guard Readiness Center cleared a key hurdle with passage of legislation authorizing the conveyance of the building and about seven acres of adjacent property for fair market value.
Over the weekend, Pennsylvania Sen. Michele Brooks, R-50th, announced final approval of legislation transferring the property after her Senate Bill 1347 was amended into House Bill 2559.
Hermitage will pay $920,000 for the property, a figure reached following an appraisal commissioned by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Mark Longietti, Hermitage director of business and community development, said Monday. A new building is under construction for the readiness center, which he expected the Guard to occupy by next June.
“The building could really benefit the community,” Longietti said. The land behind the building has already been used for community purposes, and the city would like to continue that. With permission from the commonwealth, Hermitage also has held its Night Markets on the property’s frontage, and acquiring the property will let the city continue to hold those types of events “and envision what other types of events could be utilized outside of the building, both in the frontage and in the rear and on the side,” he said.
According to Brooks’ news release, the state senator has worked for several years with the city, DMVA and the Pennsylvania Department of General Services “to advance the conveyance and ensure the property remains a community asset” after the National Guard moves to the new readiness center.
“This conveyance preserves critical access routes, creates opportunities for recreation and community programming and transforms an existing public asset into a resource that will benefit Shenango Valley residents of all ages for generations to come,” she said.
“We are pleased we have been able to work with the city of Hermitage to come to an agreement that supports both the department and the city,” said Marc Ferraro, Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs executive deputy secretary. “This project is a great example of how we can work together on ways to serve both our commonwealth and communities.”
Plans call for repurposing the property, which is adjacent to the Hermitage municipal complex and Hickory High School, as a community center. In addition to creating new opportunities for community programming, the acquisition will ensure continued public access to roads that serve the school, municipal complex and Rodney White Olympic Park.
The planned community center is expected to help address the community’s lack of a major indoor walking facility following the Shenango Valley Mall’s demolition and a shortage of indoor recreation space for youth sports organizations during winter months and periods of inclement weather, according to the release. It also will provide opportunities for education, enrichment, child care and other community-based programming through the reuse of existing classroom and meeting spaces within the facility.
“Projects like this are vital to rural communities that continue to reinvent and repurpose existing spaces,” Brooks said. “This investment will provide important resources for residents and help make the Shenango Valley an even more attractive place for new families, businesses and professionals to call home.”
Longietti said he did not “want to hazard a guess” on when the city might occupy the building. The next step in the process is executing a sales agreement for the property, and a preliminary assessment identified “some needs” that will have to be addressed before the building can be occupied. The city also plans to engage local stakeholders to explore potential uses for the space.
“It’ll take some time,” he acknowledged.