Legislation proposed by state Sen. Dave Argall seeking concrete plans for the shuttered White Haven Center and other former state hospitals is headed to the Senate for its consideration.
The Senate State Government Committee voted 10-1 on Tuesday to advance Senate Bill 1277.
Tens of millions of dollars in taxpayers funds are used to maintain White Haven and two other facilities that have sat idle for years, according to Argall (R-Rush Township).
"This is a bureaucratic nightmare, and it needs to stop now," he said Tuesday.
At issue are the former White Haven Center in Foster Twp., Luzerne County, as well as the former Hamburg Center in Berks County and the former Polk Center in Venango County.
These residential facilities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities continue to be maintained by the state Department of General Services (DGS).
Hamburg closed in 2018, the others in 2023.
Argall, together with Sens. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango County) and Chris Gebhard (R-Lebanon County), announced in June that they would be seeking detailed plans from DGS on the future of the three sites.
During a visit in connection with that story, White Haven appeared neat, well kept — and utterly silent. So it remains, Argall said.
"Unfortunately, nothing is going on there that we can see. And so that center, according to the Department of General Services, is costing us $8.9 million a year, and no one lives there," he said. "Hamburg center, $3.9 million. Polk center, $15.3 million. I mean, again, no one lives there."
DGS response
DGS officials on Wednesday said that in order for the properties to be sold, the department must either transfer them directly to a redevelopment authority or the General Assembly must pass legislation authorizing a direct conveyance or competitive sale.
"The three properties are at different stages of the sale preparation process depending on when they were vacated and declared surplus — and the General Assembly has yet to pass enabling legislation to allow a sale to proceed," DGS wrote in an emailed statement.
"The Department of General Services (DGS) is collaborating with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to prepare the White Haven Center, the Hamburg Center and the Polk Center for sale. This process involves survey work, appraisals and environmental studies, all of which take at least 18 months to complete," the statement added.
"Once legislation authorizing a sale is enacted, properties are typically offered through a competitive bidding process, which includes a bid period of at least 90 days. This is followed by the execution of a sales agreement and closing. The timeline of this process is dictated by the statutes governing Commonwealth property sales," DGS continued.
"DGS has discussed updates and potential collaborations regarding these properties, specifically the Hamburg Center, with Senator Argall," the statement concluded.
Argall cites Allentown case
"I have tried to work with the department in the past, and it was just one delay after another, delay after another delay," Argall said. "I finally lost my patience. That's why I introduced this bill."
Under the bill, DGS would be required to provide the Legislature with the yearly costs of each property since the institutions were closed, expected costs associated with each property if they are not sold, and costs relating to the demolition or refurbishment of the buildings at each property.
Argall said he is seeking transparency, but he also wants to avoid a repeat of what happened to the former Allentown State Hospital.
That building required millions of taxpayer dollars each year for upkeep and security until it was finally razed in 2020, Argall said, a decade after it was closed.
"Between 2010 and 2020 they spent $2.2 million in maintenance each year, and then they tore it down for another $12.7 million. It's just ridiculous," he said.
Closure was controversial
White Haven's closure was a painful chapter for the center's residents, their families, and the staff who worked there. At the time closure plans were announced in 2019, the center employed 400 and cared for 112 people.
Its closure was a controversial move that pitted those stakeholders against disability advocacy groups and state officials who argued that community-based living is better for people with intellectual disabilities than institutional settings. Others raised concerns about the potential economic impact the closures would have on the surrounding communities.
State legislators went head-to-head with then-Gov. Tom Wolf, passing a bill that would have imposed a moratorium on the closures of White Haven and Polk. Wolf vetoed the measure, and the plan went ahead.
White Haven closed on Feb. 24, 2023. DGS in June of this year said property sale preparation work was underway at White Haven and that work should be completed within 18 months.
'A perfect site'
In the meanwhile, the lawns are still being trimmed, the buildings maintained, and a calm silence hangs over the site.
Seeing the center remain idle frustrates Argall, who sees promise in the 192-acre property, which is in a picturesque location not far from I-80.
"The White Haven site is right along the Interstate. It could be a perfect site for future employers. It could be used for veterans. It could be used for a Boy Scout camp. It could be used for new housing," said Argall, who encouraged anyone with an interest in the site to contact his office.
"It just shouldn't sit empty year after year after year," he said.