Officials try again to sell home

Officials are considering taking out a line of credit for the Ewing Park Bridge.
& lt;a href=mailto:cioffi@vindy.com & gt;By LAURE CIOFFI & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County commissioners are getting ready to sell the former county nursing home -- again.
Commissioners opened bids Thursday to have the property appraised.
Dan McCowan and Company from Bridgeville, Pa., were the low bid at $5,400. The bids were turned over to the county solicitor and county assessor for review.
Commissioner Dan Vogler said his goal is to eventually sell the property and get it back on the tax rolls.
The nursing home closed earlier this year after the patient population dwindled. Patients started leaving the facility in 2003 after the previous board of commissioners announced it was being sold to private owners.
Former attempt failed
The sale eventually failed when commissioners discovered that the private buyers had diverted about $500,000 from private-pay patients into a noncounty account. About $300,000 was not returned to the county after the sale was called off. Commissioners have filed a lawsuit against the buyers to recover the money.
An investigation into the matter was recently turned over to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office by Lawrence County District Attorney Matthew Mangino.
In other business, county commissioners are considering taking a $2 million line of credit out for the Ewing Park Bridge construction.
Commissioner Ed Fosnaught said the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation suggested the county take out the line of credit. Any money spent by the county will be fully reimbursed. Construction on the bridge is expected to start later this year.