Mercer officials approve purchase of building

Commissioners plan to move some county offices to the building.

By MARY GRZEBIENIAK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

MERCER, Pa. — Mercer County commissioners formally approved purchase of the Citizens Bank building.

The purchase price for the building at the corner of Pa. Route 19 and North Diamond Street across from the Mercer County Courthouse, is $340,000, which is $210,000 below the asking price, commissioners said. Its most recent owner bought the building for $600,000 within the past 10 years, commissioners said.

Commissioner Brian Beader said one factor that helped them negotiate the price down was the necessity of the county installing an elevator in the building, since the second floor contains the vacant square footage the county needs for office space.

The county must provide handicapped access in offices that are open to the public and for employees with disabilities.

The 56-year old building’s current three tenants will remain, paying rent that Beader said will amount to $86,000 in 2008.

Besides the bank, which has a six-year lease with an extension clause, tenants include Banker’s Life and Casualty Insurance Co. and George Wright Properties, a nonprofit foundation.

Commissioners must decide which county offices are most suited for the approximately 4,500 square feet of space available on the 5,300-square-foot second floor. The building also has a vacant, unused basement.

Commissioners said it will take about two months to install the necessary data lines before putting any county offices there. They also plan to install an elevator sometime next year.

Beader said Mercer schools and Mercer borough will continue to collect taxes on the building.

He commented that despite the extensive renovation of the courthouse several years ago, no space was added to the building. But county-space needs are growing, and he said commissioners are keeping an eye on other nearby properties that are for sale but said some are unsuitable because of size or lack of parking.

The building purchase was through Caldwell Banker from Citizens Halpern LLC. Commissioners were unsure of the company’s location since they have dealt only with the real estate agent.

The purchase vote will be ratified when commissioners meet next week since Commissioner Olivia Lazor was on county business and did not attend Tuesday’s chief clerk’s meeting.

In a related discussion, commissioners said that once the crowding problem eases, they plan to designate space as an employee workout facility to reduce county health-insurance premiums by encouraging employees to remain healthy.

They will be asking employee union leadership for donations toward the project.