Jim Creedon (at right), secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, explains the process for choosing a site for the proposed state prison and explained why the German Township site was not selected. To Creedon’s left is state Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union Twp. (John F. Brothers/Herald-Standard)

GERMAN TWP. - German Township is back in the running as a potential site for a new state prison.

The Department of General Services (DGS) announced last week that it was no longer considering sites in German Township because of excessive site preparation costs. Because of high-voltage power lines and high-pressure gas lines that would need to be relocated, $25 million would be added to the site preparation.

DGS Secretary James Creedon met with German Township officials and others Thursday to explain how the department makes its decisions on building locations. Creedon explained that by state law, potential sites are named by county, not by municipality, meaning that initially the DGS looked at sites throughout Fayette County. A real estate broker developed a list of 60 potential sites in the county for a new 2,000-bed prison. That list was then narrowed down to 22 properties, four of which were in German Township.

Creedon said his department uses a matrix evaluation that looks at potential downfalls for site development such as brown field issues, topography, wetlands, abandoned mines or wells, as well as attributes such as access to utilities, highways and hospitals.

"We also look for a willing seller. We don't want to get into condemnations if we don't have to," Creedon said.

Based on that matrix, the 22 Fayette County sites were narrowed to eight sites, only one of which was in German Township, the 204-acre Tiberi property, which ended up having the additional $25 million in development costs.

Jim Stanton of McMillen Engineering of Uniontown offered a counterproposal to Creedon on behalf of the township, using the footprint from the State Correctional Institution at Fayette in Luzerne Township as the model on property in German Township.

Stanton was able to place the prison on a 326-acre site located on all or part of three to four parcels, with the majority of the site on the Clark parcel. Stanton said the placement is tight, but it can be done without the need to move power lines or gas lines on the properties.

Elizabeth O'Reilly, deputy secretary for public works at the DGS, said the Clark parcel was not previously considered.

"They were off the list so quickly because we didn't have a willing seller, so they weren't on the matrix," O'Reilly said.

Chris Clark said he is willing to sell the parcel, as long as he receives assistance moving his 17-acre scrap metal business.

Sheila Novasky, state Rep. Bill DeWeese's chief of staff in his Masontown office, said there is a property owner willing to swap property with Clark for his business.

"We have to give this a hard look," Creedon said.

The state game lands adjoin the property to the north and Clark's mother lives to the northwest of the proposed prison site, though he said her property sits much lower than the prison parcel, so there is a geographic barrier between them. The site is about 500 feet off the Browns Trail hike/bike trail, though it was noted that there is a steep embankment separating those two sites as well.

"I think we have to put this back through the matrix process. You've done a good job dropping the SCI-Fayette model on it," Creedon said. "We've had information today that positively changed the picture. I would like to have a report back to me the week before Thanksgiving."

O'Reilly said the department is only on the verge of doing the geotechnical studies with the three potential sites in Luzerne Township, so site preparation costs for those sites are not yet known. One site of more than 250 acres is near the current SCI-Fayette on the Canestrale property; the 328-acre Fayco/Fisher parcel is in the East Riverside/Adah area and the 617-acre Wellington site is off Frogtown Road, the former Isabella Mine property.

Creedon said that the one thing that is definite is that the total project cost must come in under $200 million. Creedon said the DGS already has had to make changes in the Rockview prison project in Centre County because the initial construction bids came in over budget. Creedon said the project is being redesigned and re-bid in order to meet the budget.

Area officials noted that locating the prison just a half of a mile from Route 21 would spur more economic development such as restaurants and hotels that may not be attracted to the more remote Luzerne Township sites.

"The limit is $200 million. We can't look at the return in economic development. The logical return on investment we would do in the private sector, we can't take into consideration," Creedon said.