Commissioners expected to approve sale
WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners today are expected to authorize the chief clerk and solicitor to finalize the sale of the Thomas Hughes House to Mark Behm of Jefferson.
Last month, the commissioners received the bid of $54,000 from Behm but 30 days needed to elapse before the county could authorize the private sale, in accordance with state law.
This was the second offer the county received for the sale of the historic house in Jefferson. A single offer during the first round of bidding was rejected because it failed to meet the property’s appraised value.
The county accepted ownership of the property in 2003 after the state completed a $700,000 restoration of the two-story stone building, constructed by Hughes one of the county’s early settlers.
Under the agreement, in which the county gained ownership of the building, the county could sell the property. However, all proceeds must be returned to the state, except for expenses incurred by the county to sell the property, which include the costs of the appraisal and advertising.
The county earlier received inquiries about purchasing the property from several people interested only in the lots and by representatives of Jefferson Borough, who wanted to use it for a borough building. The only bid received for the property, however, was from a private buyer.
At the time, Commissioner Archie Trader said he believed if no bids were received that met the appraised value on the second round of bidding, the county could discuss turning the building over to a nonprofit organization, contingent on the state’s approval.
The building has been vacant since March 2013, when Greene County Library System closed the community reading center it operated in the building since its restoration.
The county could not find a use for the building that justified its expense and decided to put the building up for sale. The county was paying for the costs of maintaining the building, including heating costs, which were expensive.
The property, which includes the two-story stone house and 2.26 acres of land, is included on the National Register of Historical Places and the new owner will have to abide by historic covenants.
The covenants generally would require that any major changes proposed for the building be approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.