Aug 22, 2016 2 min read

MONESSEN – Monessen Council approved the sale Monday of a vacant office building to a Pittsburgh developer who also is negotiating the purchase of the nearby City Hall as the city seeks to curb spending.

Council voted 4-0 to sell the two-story Eastgate Eleven to On Site Rep for $80,000, a decision reached a month after its representative, David Lamb, offered $650,000 for both buildings.

Lamb approached council at its regular meeting Monday, asking for “a little more time” on reaching an agreement on the purchase of City Hall, also known as the Monessen Municipal Complex at 1 Wendell Ramey Lane.

Lamb said his company was researching the income from office leases in the four-story concrete complex, which was constructed in the 1960s as the Mon Valley Community Health Center and now needs nearly $1.5 million in renovations.

The city entered this year into the state’s early intervention program to avoid becoming a financially distressed municipality. The Mon Valley city ended last year with a more than $600,000 deficit in its general fund.

Monessen solicitor Krisha A. DiMascio said the city will need to advertise the sale of Eastgate Eleven and then obtain approval from a Westmoreland County Court judge before it becomes final.

Lamb said Monday his company wants to convert the complex into a medical office building, similar to what it was designed for in the beginning.

In other business Monday, council instructed DiMascio to draft an ordinance creating a city-sanctioned committee to operate an amphitheater in City Park.

Council also authorized an advertisement seeking a replacement for city Clerk Holly Minno, who is resigning Aug. 31.