BUCKSTOWN, PA. Owner says he can't donate land to Flight 93 memorial

The plot is about a mile from the crash site.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A businessman who wants to sell 130 acres near the United Airlines Flight 93 crash site insists he's not trying to profit off the tragedy but can't afford to donate the land to memorial planners.
In January, John Merschat posted a description of his land in Buckstown, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, on eBay. When the auction ended Thursday afternoon, the listing received four bids, the highest of which came in at $275,100, below Merschat's reserve minimum, which he would not reveal.
The listing said the land is in "America's County" and described its proximity to the reclaimed strip mine where the Flight 93 crashed Sept. 11, 2001, killing the 40 passengers and crew and four hijackers.
Location, location
The plot is about a mile from the crash site and some 10 miles from the Quecreek Mine, where nine miners were trapped hundreds of feet below ground for three days in July 2002.
Merschat, 35, a Markleysburg resident who owns a sawmill and a log export company, said news of his Internet auction hasn't been received well, despite his efforts to be discreet.
He bought the land -- plus 30 more acres that he since has sold to a private individual -- at an auction last spring for nearly $500,000. He intended to harvest the oak and cherry on the property, which was owned by JCM Industries at the time of the plane crash.
While Merschat was trying to work out a deal with private investors, he said, a representative from the Arlington, Va.-based Conservation Fund approached him about donating about 25 acres. The nonprofit group, which is working to preserve land for the Flight 93 National Memorial, also offered to buy that portion of land, Merschat said.
Merschat said he can't afford to donate the land and doesn't want to break up the parcel.
Value estimation
It's difficult to estimate the value of land like Marschet's, said Jim Estep, of Estep Realty Service, an Ebensburg-based company that specializes in land development and sales. The values vary according to the lands' topography, access to highways and utilities, and other factors, he said.
Joanne Hanley, superintendent of the Flight 93 National Memorial, said a federal advisory commission passed a resolution in November that recommends to the secretary of the interior that resources within 1,500 acres be protected. The 1,500 acres recommendation didn't include Merschat's property.
Merschat said he understands the importance of the site because he was standing near the hole in the earth minutes after the plane crashed.
When he heard a loud buzz and explosion and saw a huge cloud of smoke rise from the horizon, he said he thought Somerset County was being attacked and considered fleeing with his business associates. Instead, Merschat drove toward the crash site to see if he could help, but found nothing but debris and scorched land.
"It means as much to me as anybody locally or anybody nationally because I was there," Merschat said.