Clarion County has found a new home for its equipment and, possibly, much more.
County commissioners on Tuesday approved the execution of a sales agreement between the county and Charlene Holabaugh for the purchase of the former Holabaugh beer distributorship building in Paint Township.
Commissioner Ted Tharan said the building on River Hill is ideally situated between the county buildings in Clarion and the county park near Shippenville.
The county expects to occupy the building within 60 days.
“We will do our due diligence on it before we close,” said Tharan. “I believe the building was erected in the 1960s out of cinder blocks. It is still pretty structurally sound.
“It was in our plan to do this because our records storage is critical. We need to get the records into a climate controlled atmosphere,” Tharan added.
Tharan said very little renovation is needed. He said the former cold storage areas could be used for records storage.
The county records are currently housed in the old jail cells at the former county jail.
The county’s emergency management department will be able to store the EMA trailers and equipment in the building, which has a large drive-through bay.
The purchase includes 2.5 acres, and Tharan said the county could build a new 9-1-1 center at the site. The center is currently located in the old county jail.
Tharan said the county Emergency Management Agency will build some offices in the building. The EMA is now located in the lower level of the Clarion County Courthouse.
The county has been seeking a new home for its vehicles and storage for records since the county didn’t exercise its option on the former Ford garage on route 322 east of Clarion. The county waived its option so a commercial enterprise could utilize the building.
“This is one of those things you have to do and it worked out pretty well for us,” said Tharan.
Tharan said there are no immediate plans for the old jail building.