LAWRENCE COUNTY Hill View Manor faces possible sale at auction

Commissioners have received interest in the property but no firm offers.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Hill View Manor will go on the auction block sometime in September if a sales agreement for the site is not reached by the end of next month.
Lawrence County commissioners said this week at least three parties have expressed interest in buying the former county-owned nursing home, but none have made a final offer on the facility.
Meanwhile, county workers have continued maintaining the property at the expense of taxpayers, commissioners said. Earlier this year commissioners agreed to allow Audia Real Estate of New Castle to market the site, which includes the building, its contents and 30 acres along state Route 65 in Shenango Township.
Prospective buyers can purchase the entire site or just portions of the property, such as the buildings' contents. Commissioners have the right to reject any purchase proposals or bids.
Preparing for sale
Within the past year, commissioners secured appraisals of the property, but those values have remained private to attract a more competitive price, county officials explained.
If the property is not sold at the auction, commissioners may renegotiate an agreement with Audia to continue marketing it.
Hill View, which closed early last year, has been on and off the market for at least two years.
Sylvan Heights Realty Partners attempted to buy the nursing home in April 2003, but attempts to close the sale fell through twice.
On March 30, the county filed a lawsuit, which is pending, against the principals of Sylvan, alleging the three partners and companies owned by one of them funneled Hill View Manor money into private bank accounts and tried to use some of it as a down payment to buy the home.
The county claims a loss of more than $150,000 as a result of Sylvan's actions.