Oct. 16, 2017
HARRISBURG – Legislation sponsored by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) to authorize the sale of the Kane Armory building and property was unanimously approved by the state House on Monday and now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
House Bill 1787 was introduced at the request of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and would authorize the sale of both the armory and the adjacent “weekend training” site at a price to be determined by competitive bid.
“It costs the Commonwealth nearly $10,000 annually to maintain the armory building, which has been vacant now for a few years,” Causer said. “I believe it’s in the best interest of taxpayers to have the property put to productive use and placed on the tax rolls.”
House Bill 1787 authorizes the conveyance (sale) of two separate properties. The first includes the armory building, which is just under 16,000 square feet in size, and a detached three-bay concrete block garage sitting on approximately 0.34 acres. The second property is known as the weekend training site and consists of a fenced compound, large metal storage building and small storage sheds on approximately 1.46 acres.
Causer noted the armory was built in 1922 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When the property is advertised for bid, it will include an historic preservation covenant approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The person or entity that purchases the building with the covenant would receive a discount on the property in exchange for the preservation of the building. If the property is not sold in the first round of bidding, the covenant would be removed for the second bid request.
Representative Martin T. Causer
67th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Patricia A. Hippler
717.772.9846
phippler@pahousegop.com
RepCauser.com /
Facebook.com/RepCauser