Published: May 17, 2008 10:28 pm      

Colver Clinic building remains rundown

EBENSBURG — More than four years since Colver’s dilapidated clinic was taken over by a county agency, nothing has been done.

Some say the structure is in worse shape than before, and village firefighters contend it is a hazard.

Residents of the historic coal-mining village of Colver have been repeatedly promised by county officials that the building’s past would be preserved – or at least that the most decaying structures would be removed before becoming a danger.

But little has been accomplished at the hospital, which was operated for almost 50 years by the town’s beloved Dr. Alexander Martin.

Grass and weeds surround the building at the bottom of First Street. Broken glass, litter, and open doors and windows invite vandals.

Officials at Cambria County Redevelopment Authority, which took possession of the building after it was nearly sold for back taxes in 2004, have little to say.

“Some people are interested in the building,” said Larry Custer, the agency’s executive director.

He declined to elaborate or identify potential buyers. Custer also said he was unaware of broken windows and vandalism.

“We’ve boarded up all we can board up,” he said.

In response to residents’ concerns that the building is deteriorating and perhaps should be demolished, Custer said: “If they want it to be torn down, they can buy it and do it themselves.”

Custer repeated the sentiments he expressed in 2004, saying the 94-year-old building could be put to use.

“The roof is still intact, and it’s standing,” he said. “It is a solid, solid building.”

But Steve Verbosky of the Cambria Township Fire Company is not optimistic.

“That building is falling apart,” said Verbosky, who has been fighting blight and dangerous conditions in Colver for the past several years.

“At that time, we were told that they were going to put a for sale sign on the old hospital, and it would go for some use, but nothing ever happened,” Verbosky said.

“Now, it’s a hazard. It’s falling apart,” he added.

“This is a historic town, and that’s a historic building. There are a lot of good memories there, but nobody wants to see such dangerous blight.”

Supervisor Robert Shook said township officials had not been updated on any progress on the building.

“It seems the county is overwhelmed,” he said.

Cambria County Commissioner P.J. Stevens said he recently asked Custer about the condition and fate of the Colver building. He was told that perhaps there were prospects for it.

“But I don’t have any firsthand knowledge of any negotiations, and if the building is standing vandalized and open like that, it must be cleaned up,” he said.

The Redevelopment Authority administers block grant funds for Cambria County and assists municipalities with rehabilitating buildings and demolishing vacant, dilapidated structures, according to its Web site.

Supervisors said they would refer the issue to the township solicitor.