Heights Amvets building to be sold, razed
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The Shenandoah Heights AMVETS Building on Indiana Avenue on July 18, 2023.
SHENANDOAH HEIGHTS – Pending court approval, a long-abandoned former social hall in West Mahanoy Township may soon come down.
At their regular meeting Tuesday, West Mahanoy Township supervisors approved the sale of the Amvets building on Indiana Avenue to Joseph Hall for $10,000.
Township Solicitor Jim Amato said the township had become conservator for the abandoned property, which, Tuesday evening, showed signs of collapse and was largely overgrown.
“They’re essentially overseeing and managing the property for now,” Amato said of the conservatorship. “Now that we have a buyer, we will petition the court to approve the sale of that property to Mr. Hall.”
Amato said Hall agreed to demolish the property at his cost.
“We felt that was a fair price and it didn’t cost the township anything. We gained our cost back to obtain the conservatorship,” Amato said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”
The Amvets post was originally established around 1946 and was dedicated in honor of Edward J. Derringe, a fallen World War II veteran from the Heights.
The post closed some time in the late 1990s or early 2000s.
In other business, township supervisors approved bids to repave sections of Coal Street and Garfield Avenue in the Altamont section of the township at a cost of $9,700. The bid was awarded to Ron Troy Asphalt and will be paid for with American Rescue Plan funding. The township will also be responsible for purchasing asphalt for the project.
The township also approved:
- a $1/hr raise for Eugene Coolbaugh;
- and retaining John Kaczmarczyk as a part-time patrolman at a rate of $19/hr.
About Author
