Oct. 1—WILKES-BARRE — Calling it “a valuable property,” State Sen. Dave Argall (R-29) on Tuesday said that he has already met with several people who may be interested in purchasing the former White Haven Center that has been vacant since 2023.
Citing concerns about “decades of bureaucratic inactivity and the waste of millions of taxpayer dollars” at the White Haven Center and other closed, former state hospitals, the Senate State Government Committee, by a vote of 10-1, advanced legislation introduced by Sen. Argall to move the issue forward.
“This governor, the last governor, and their appointed cabinet officers in the Departments of Human Services and General Services should all be embarrassed by their continuing delays,” said Argall. “To call this a waste of taxpayer dollars is an understatement — this is a bureaucratic nightmare of epic proportions for 14 years. It needs to stop now.”
The White Haven Center was shut down in 2023 by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services without community or legislative input. Since then, Argall said it has sat unused and empty, leaving taxpayers on the hook for millions every year to maintain its empty buildings.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, Argall said carryover costs for the 2023-24 fiscal year were almost $9 million.
Argall introduced Senate Bill 1277 with Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-21) and Sen. Chris Gebhard (R-48) to demand a detailed plan from the Pennsylvania Department of General Services on how it will repurpose the White Haven Center, the Hamburg Center, which was shut down in 2018, and the Polk Center, which was closed in 2023.
“Spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars each year maintaining these three properties with their future uncertain is completely irresponsible,” said Argall. “They should be returned to the tax rolls and providing jobs for local people as soon as humanly possible, without unending bureaucratic delays.”
Argall highlighted the example of the former Allentown State Hospital as the worst-case scenario if action is not taken. Closed in 2010, Argall said the state spent approximately $2.2 million each year for 10 years for upkeep and security until ultimately razing it in 2020 for an additional $12.7 million — a total of about $34.7 million. Through inaction, the state nearly tripled the amount of taxpayer dollars wasted, Argall said.
Under the bill, the department must also provide the legislature with the yearly costs of each property since the institutions were closed, expected costs associated with each property if they are not sold, and costs relating to the demolition or refurbishment of the buildings at each property.
“Anyone interested should not hesitate to contact us if you would like to learn more,” Argall said. “No one should want to waste another $35 million heating empty buildings, mowing the grass, operating the utilities, year after year after year, and then bring in the bulldozers. We can’t repeat the mistakes of the Allentown State Center ever again.”
Senate Bill 1277 now advances to the full Senate for consideration.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
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