HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Blair County Coroner’s office will now have access to additional decedent storage space thanks to a contract amendment that was approved during a Thursday morning commissioners meeting.

The amendment expands an existing agreement with John E. Smith and Elaine M. Smith to include portions of a building formerly used as a three-car garage located behind the current coroner’s office in East Freedom.

The main building was a funeral home operated by the Smiths before being converted for use by the coroner’s office in late 2024.

Under the new agreement, the county will pay $200 per month to rent half of the three available spaces in the garage, with a guarantee to rent the remaining space once the Smith’s move the hearse that currently occupies the third bay.

Once the county assumes the full space, the monthly rent will increase to $400 a month.

This space will be used to house two new cooler units that were ordered by the county in 2025.

Each cooler can hold four decedents each, allowing the county to rely less on third party companies for storage capacity.

According to Coroner Ray Benton, the move to the Smith property was a “win-win,” for everyone involved, as his office will realize a cost savings compared to the previous location, and the Smiths can find a long-term tenant to take over the former funeral home.

Benton said that the Smiths have been “very gracious” in allowing the county to rent their property below market rate.

The new facility is also “much more accommodating,” Benton said, as the funeral home facilities easily translated into use by his office, including an embalming room and a classroom.

The county will complete a comprehensive overhaul of the garage building to make it serviceable, Benton said, including adding new lights, hanging drywall and upgrading the electrical and HVAC systems.

Even with these upgrades, the county will spend less overall than by continuing to use the third party service, Benton said.

Benton said he anticipates that the new garage facility will be fully operational sometime around March once the renovations are completed and the coolers are delivered.

This new setup will make the daily operations of his office more convenient, Benton said.

The contract with the Smiths will run until late September 2026.

Currently, the county pays $50 per day per decedent storage at Forshts Livery Service in Logan Township. Forshts assumed the duties to fill out the remainder of a contract awarded to Clear Creek Co., who withdrew their involvement in late 2025 citing lower than anticipated volume.