Westmoreland County to buy building housing District Judge Mahady's office in Unity

Westmoreland County is buying the building and property that houses the Unity office of District Judge Tamara J. Mahady.

The commissioners recently approved an agreement of sale to acquire the parcel from Main Street Properties for $375,000. Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said the county tries to negotiate with landowners when leases for district court buildings are up for renewal in an effort to purchase the properties.

The county had embarked on a program for about a decade to modernize district judge offices. Two new facilities opened in 2019 in Hempfield and Washington townships.

The cost of those topped $1 million each, a price tag that is likely much higher now, Thrasher said.

The county previously rented space for all of its district judge offices, but security concerns and space issues led officials to begin building newer facilities. A handful of offices remain in privately owned buildings.