HARRISBURG -- A state senator whose district houses Mayview State Hospital said Wednesday it's premature to include the land in a list of properties the state is deciding how to sell.
Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon, co-chairs a task force assembled to analyze the 335-acre property and its facilities, in South Fayette. He says the state should wait for the group's recommendations before moving toward a sale.
"My concern is timing, more than anything," said Pippy. "It would be premature to put it on the list for sale."
The state Department of Public Welfare, which operates the hospital, said in August it will close the hospital and evaluate the facility's 225 residents to help place them in more-integrated settings, such as group homes, public housing or with families.
The property includes 39 buildings with about 1.4 million square feet of space. Its estimated value is $2 million, according to the Department of General Services, which put out the list.
The Senate State Government Committee met yesterday to discuss selling the property, and the House State Government Committee will meet today on the issue.
Lawmakers will decide whether the property should be directly transferred to a buyer or whether the state will sell the land through a bidding process or auction.
Pippy said the task force has held public hearings and reviewed the property and its facilities, but plans to hold more hearings to determine effects on the environment, the economy and surrounding communities if the land is sold.
The group might recommend that some parts be sold for business development and some be preserved as green space, Pippy said. Until they make those decisions, though, he said the property should not be included in the plan.
"It's not an issue of stopping (the sale)," Pippy said. "But let's hear from the task force first."
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