Cambria County approves sale of Ebensburg buildings for $159,000

Cambria County commissioners approved bids on Thursday to sell two vacant, county-owned buildings in Ebensburg, including one on Manor Drive and one on South Center Street. The sales give the county a path to move long-unused properties into private hands after years on the market.

One building on Manor Drive sold for $63,000 to Delbert Framing, Roofing, & Siding LLC. The South Center Street building sold for nearly $96,000 to Jonathan Steingraber, and county leaders said both properties had been sitting empty for years while costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars annually in maintenance, insurance, and utilities.

Cambria County bids

The county had put the properties out for bid multiple times before Thursday without success. County leaders then expanded the search nationwide and brought in new buyers, which led to the two accepted bids.

Ronald Repak, the county solicitor, said, "I'm not quite sure what these individuals will be doing with those properties," but added, "But if they have economic development, maybe they can bring in jobs, bring in assets, and more importantly, they're able to get revenue onto the books for taxable properties."

Ebensburg properties

County leaders said the buildings will lose their tax exempt status after they are renovated and officially sold. Once that happens, the properties will begin generating property tax revenue for the county and other taxing bodies.

The result is straightforward for Cambria County: two vacant Ebensburg buildings are no longer just a cost line, and the county now has buyers attached to both parcels.