Cumberland Twp. property auction a bust

4/18/2009 3:31 AM

WAYNESBURG - About 14 acres of land the county owns at Baileys Crossroads, Cumberland Township, was on the auction block Friday, but the bidding stopped short of its appraised value.

The county now will accept private offers in an effort to sell the property near Carmichaels, said county Chief Clerk Gene Lee.

The parcel has been appraised at $121,000, so an offer would have to be near that figure, otherwise county leaders would reject the proposal.

The county obtained the land in 2004 as payment in lieu of taxes through the bankruptcy of LTV Steel Co. LTV owned the Nemacolin Mine, and the property near Junction Deli used to have the mine's No. 4 shaft.

Commissioners view the property as an ideal place to build a business because of its proximity to Route 21. They have been considering selling or leasing the property for at least the past two years.

Last year, the county hired an engineering firm, Pennoni Associates, to evaluate the lot and to coordinate with the state Department of Transportation, which has been planning a realignment of Baileys Crossroads. A federal grant paid for a portion of the $25,000 cost.

PennDOT wants to change the intersection to allow uninterrupted traffic on Route 21, and the department may need an easement on the county's property to make that happen. However, PennDOT will have to negotiate with the new owner if the county sells the property.

Currently, traffic heading west on Route 21 must stop at West George Street. Plans call for making Route 21 continuous in both directions, and West George Street would then intersect with it.

The county sold several smaller parcels it obtained through LTV's bankruptcy in 2007, but commissioners did not include Baileys Crossroads in that auction.

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