Cambria County OKs sale of two long-vacant Ebensburg buildings to cut costs

Ebensburg building – Cambria County approved bids to sell two long-vacant Ebensburg properties, aiming to reduce ongoing costs and return the sites to the tax rolls after renovation.

Cambria County commissioners have taken a step toward trimming expenses and reshaping property use in Ebensburg by moving to sell two long-vacant, county-owned buildings.

The approvals cleared Thursday for properties on Manor Drive and South Center Street.. The Manor Drive building was set to sell for $63. 000 to Delbert Framing. Roofing. & Siding LLC. while the South Center Street property was approved at nearly $96. 000 for Jonathan Steingraber.. Both transactions are described as pending final approval.

County leaders say the vacant buildings have been sitting unused for years, creating a recurring financial burden for taxpayers. That burden includes costs tied to keeping structures insured, maintained, and supplied with basic utilities even as they remain empty.

There’s also a bigger fiscal goal behind the paperwork: shifting the properties from tax-exempt status into the ordinary property tax system.. Once the buildings are renovated and the sale is finalized. the county expects they will no longer be treated as tax-exempt county property. allowing property tax revenue to return to local budgets.

For county officials, the policy logic is straightforward.. A property that stays vacant can become an open-ended liability—absorbing money without producing community or economic value.. A sale. by contrast. can reintroduce the asset into the local economy. whether through private redevelopment. new occupancy. or other uses that bring activity back to the neighborhood.

The county solicitor, Ronald Repak, framed the outcome in terms of opportunity.. He said he could not predict exactly what buyers will do with the buildings. but argued that if the new owners pursue economic development. the result could include job creation and more importantly. revenue that lands “on the books” for taxable properties.

Vacancy can linger for reasons that are easy to underestimate.. Even when a county is ready to transfer ownership. potential buyers may hesitate because of renovation costs. uncertain timelines. or the difficulty of finding a usable path for older structures.. Misryoum notes that this is also why the county’s earlier attempts mattered: the properties were previously put out for bid multiple times without success.

This time, officials say they broadened the search beyond local channels, reaching out nationwide to find buyers.. That shift in approach appears designed to solve a practical problem—local demand may not have been strong enough to absorb two underutilized assets at the county’s terms.. By expanding the pool of bidders. the county increased its chances of matching the properties with people or businesses willing to take on renovation risk.

The human impact of these decisions is often felt less in government meetings and more in everyday budgeting.. When a county faces repeated costs for buildings that sit empty. residents can end up carrying the bill through tax pressure or constrained services.. Misryoum sees this as part of a broader trend in public administration: governments are being pushed to treat real estate not just as land and structures. but as financial assets that should either serve a mission—or be sold.

A successful redevelopment would also change the physical story of the properties themselves.. Renovation and re-occupancy can reduce deterioration risks that sometimes accompany long periods of vacancy. and it can stabilize nearby areas that may otherwise lose momentum.. Just as importantly. returning the buildings to the tax rolls can create a more predictable revenue stream—particularly meaningful for communities working within tight municipal financial realities.

While both deals still require final approval. the county’s direction is clear: move forward with transfers that reduce costs now. and potentially unlock broader economic and fiscal benefits later.. If the buyers follow through on renovations. the outcome could become a template for how Cambria County handles other underused assets—turning long-vacant properties into taxable. functioning parts of Ebensburg.