Hempfield approves comprehensive plan, will tear down old prison outbuildings

Hempfield supervisors approved a comprehensive plan this week which will guide the township’s actions for the next 10 to 15 years.

The township supervisors began drafting the plan about a year and a half ago to fulfill a requirement under the state Municipalities Planning Code.

The supervisors were slated to vote on it last month. Minor wording changes were made to clarify a few sections, which pushed the vote to September, said Patrick Karnash, director of planning and zoning.

A representative from Herbert, Rowland and Grubic Inc. — the engineering firm which helped the township draft the plan — discussed the highlights of the plan and the edits made to it during a hearing held at the beginning of the regular township meeting.

The plan’s goals include improving township signage, expanding sidewalks and trails, removing blighted property, developing available property on Route 30, preserving greenspace and evaluating the quality of municipal services.

“It’s a document that I think we all should be proud of,” Karnash said.

The supervisors unanimously approved the plan.

“I’m looking forward to, now that we’ve adopted this, the staff … (helping) guide this board to respect the document as we make decisions moving forward,” Supervisor Doug Weimer said.

SCI ‘accessory structures’ to be torn down

The supervisors also voted to submit an application to the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority to remove accessory structures on the former SCI Greensburg prison property along Route 119 near Youngwood.

These structures, which include barns and garages, are separate from the main correctional facility, township Manager Aaron Siko said via email.

The prison, a 350,000-square-foot facility, was built to hold 900 inmates and employed 360 people. The state Department of Corrections announced in January 2013 it would close the facility — and another in Cambria County — because of maintenance costs and a declining inmate population.

After the facility sat vacant for 10 years, the township announced in June it would purchase the 96-acre property for $3.5 million with the intent to demolish the prison.

The township is working with the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. to identify the best reuse for the property. Township officials are also meeting with engineering firms and soliciting proposals on how to handle the site.