Borough eyes parcel: Former lumber property could be storage site

By SUSAN EVANS
The Tribune-Democrat

EBENSBURG June 23, 2009 10:57 pm

— A hulking set of buildings on a borough side street, once used by a lumber company but vacant for more than a year, could become Ebensburg government’s newest storage site.
Borough council members agreed Monday night to pursue the idea of buying the 1.5-acre lot with five buildings on West Street from the Pittsburgh-based lumber company.
Now, the complex is barren and two of its structures are in disrepair,
But if an agreement is reached for the borough to purchase the property, it would serve as a central storage complex for salt, anti-skid, equipment and supplies, borough Manager Dan Penatzer told council.
It also could be a convenient location for composting, possibly replacing the problem-ridden compost site on Tanner Street, Penatzer said.
If a purchase deal is reached, other government entities would benefit, he said.
For example, the county recreation authority now stores trail equipment such as mowers and a tractor in the Ebensburg borough garage.
That equipment could be moved to the Babcock site.
Also, the coalition of Ebensburg and Cambria and Jackson townships, which has been buying equipment to share, also could benefit from the storage buildings.
As a compost site, Penatzer said that the borough could compost leaves, and residents could be given a key fob so that they could deposit grass. Companies wishing to use the compost also could be given a key fob, he said.
This would solve problems at the existing site on Tanner Street, which Penatzer said is impossible to monitor.
Overall, the property could solve several local government issues.
“The borough has outgrown the existing garages,” Penatzer told council.
Babcock had been using the property for warehousing in the past few years, and the company closed its Ebensburg facility a year ago.
Council members met in executive session after their regular meeting Monday night to discuss a possible offer, but no vote or other public action was taken after the session.
On Tuesday, Penatzer said no further details would be publicly released.
The lumber buildings are located next to the new Laurel Medical Supply facility and across from an L. Robert Kimball & Associates building.