Sale of former state prison in Hempfield complete
The shuttered state prison in Hempfield is now officially in the hands of a Carlisle businessman.
The sale of SCI Greensburg for $950,000 was finalized on July 2 and keys to the site were handed over to David Goldsmith's company, Energy Management Concepts, Inc., according to state Department of General Services acting spokesman Stephen Rudman.
Goldsmith, whose plans for the property remain unclear, did not return phone messages seeking comment.
No documents have been filed with the township regarding how the 96-acre site might be used.
In January, state officials announced they would close SCI Greensburg in six months, taking local officials by surprise.
Efforts to change the minds of state officials were unsuccessful and the 900-inmate, medium-security lockup was mothballed, resulting in the loss of 360 jobs and tax revenue.
State officials said the closure was a money-saving move.
In August, Hempfield supervisors approved a state subdivision request to separate the prison site from two other nearby state-owned parcels.
The Department of General Services put the site up for bid in November 2014. Two bids were opened Feb. 18.
Energy Management Concepts was the winning bidder at $950,000.
However, the state paid Goldsmith much more than that in various contracts related to the prison site, according to records obtained by the Tribune-Review.
A 2004 agreement that called for Goldsmith's company to build and operate a steam energy plant at the defunct lockup also states that, if the contract is terminated in 2015, the state will pay him $7.6 million.
Energy Management Concepts was paid $1.19 million in 2013 and 2014 to oversee the closed prison.
Goldsmith's Greensburg Thermal LLC was given monthly payments totaling $3.7 million to generate steam since the prison closed.
In February, Goldsmith told the Tribune-Review that he had no specific plans for the site.
The purchase will return the property to the tax rolls. According to tax records, the county, municipal and school taxes on the land and building total $321,900.
Renatta Signorini is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-837-5374 or rsignorini@tribweb.com.
