The Altoona Mirror initially declined to name the specific parcel at the request of commissioners Chair David Kessling, who sought to protect the county’s buying power by maintaining confidentiality surrounding the negotiations.

After further reporting and careful deliberation, the Mirror has decided that revealing the location is in the public’s best interest (see related story).

The property is listed as 04.00-03..-023.00-000 on county GIS records, and is located south of Duncansville between I-99 and Dunnings Highway and surrounding the Blair County Research and Demonstration Compost Facility. The land is owned by Lucknow-Highspire Terminals Co., through a subsidiary entity listed as Pennsylvania Terminals Corp.

A senior executive from Lucknow-Highspire, which is a liquid fuel storage and wholesale distribution company based near Harrisburg, confirmed on Thursday that the company controls the parcel of land and is in ongoing negotiations with the commissioners.

The back of the Blair County Prison is seen facing Mulberry Street. The core of the facility was built in 1868-69. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

The executive did not comment on the negotiation timeline, desired sale price or future use of the parcel.

Kessling previously told the Mirror that the commissioners are hoping for a quick resolution on the sale agreement, despite Lucknow-Highspire’s board being “not in a hurry.”

Despite working on a deal for the land, the commissioners have not responded to multiple requests for comment about the acquisition process.

Members of the public, neighboring municipalities and members of the county Prison Board have not been informed by the commissioners that they are pursuing this specific parcel, or what the ensuing construction project could mean for their communities.

Three officials from neighboring municipalities told the Mirror for a previous story that they had received no information of any kind from the commissioners as of late December.

An aerial view shows the wooded plot of land Blair County is attempting to purchase for the construction of a new prison. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Blair County President Judge Wade A. Kagarise and District Attorney Pete Weeks, who both serve on the county Prison Board, told the Mirror in December that they had no information on the land search.

Weeks said that any new location for the prison would be farther from the county courthouse than the current location, which is just two blocks away in Hollidaysburg, so it may incur greater transportation costs.

Weeks and Kagarise both said they are interested in hearing more information about the potential site, which would allow them to form an opinion on the project.

Property transaction in 2009

County GIS records indicate that the last action on the parcel was in June 2009 for $1, with the listed value recorded as $279,800.

The newer portion of Blair County Prison is seen at 419 Market Square Alley, Hollidaysburg. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

That valuation does not necessarily correspond with the final price and the $1 sale may simply indicate a deed transfer for legal purposes.

The majority of the property resides in northern Blair Township, with a small corner in Allegheny Township.

Currently, the parcel is undeveloped woodland except for a single powerline that crosses from the eastern edge of the property to the northern corner.

Country records show the property is zoned as industrial, with septic tank sewer and water available from a well.

According to a topographic map created by the U.S. Geological Survey, the majority of the property is located on a hill that gains about 180 feet in elevation on the western edge to its eastern counterpart.

The tributaries of Dry Run and Blair Gap Run lay just beyond the property’s northwestern boundary at the bottom of the hill.

According to cleanblairwater.org, the two tributaries are part of the Blair Gap Run Watershed.

One source with knowledge of the local ecosystem of the parcel said the property may hold a colony of bats within a small cave.

Four of the nine bat species native to Pennsylvania are listed as endangered and/or threatened by commonwealth conservation agencies, which means they are granted special protection under state law.

According to a representative of the state Game Commission, the presence of an endangered species within the bounds of any proposed construction effort may constitute cause to deny a Department of Environmental Protection permit for the project.

The Game Commission maintains the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory — a database of known locations of endangered plant or animal species — that must be consulted when an entity applies for a DEP permit.

The contents of the inventory database are kept confidential in order to protect vulnerable habitats and endangered populations.

State law also provides protection for certain cave systems under a separate provision, although it is currently unknown whether this protection applies to any caves in Blair County.

The commissioners did not respond to multiple questions submitted by the Mirror regarding the potential environmental impact of any construction project on the property.

First choice lost

Finding land for a new prison has been ongoing for 3.5 years, Kessling said in an email.

The commissioners initiated the land search in 2022 with a feasibility study conducted by TranSystems that recommended starting from scratch on a new site over refurbishing the current prison on Mulberry Street, the core of which was built in 1868-69.

The prison has been the subject of multiple lawsuits filed by current and former inmates in recent years, with the lawsuits alleging unsanitary conditions and a pervasive rodent infestation.

Building a new prison from scratch would not only take care of those issues, but would also allow the county to address persistent overcrowding at the current prison by building a larger facility.

A previous article noted that TranSystems’ study proposed construction of a 440-bed, 165,950-square-foot facility and projected construction costs, based on the three sites reviewed, at $96.27 million to $123.16 million.

For construction of a new prison, commissioners said the firm recommended a minimum of 35 to 40 acres.

The commissioners narrowed the search down to one area and voted 2-to-1 to advertise their intent to initiate eminent domain proceedings involving two separate parcels in Allegheny Township — one of which is owned by

Alto-Reste Park. At that time, the two parcels would have totaled about 86 acres for a new prison location.

The county dropped that plan after the announcement led to a massive public outcry, as the cemetery had its land set aside for future burial grounds.

During the April vote to back away from what Commissioner Amy Webster said was the county’s No. 1 site, commissioners said it would be a long and arduous task to find another location.

“The other choices … we know they’re going to be more costly and probably less efficient,” Webster said at that time.

After questions about the current land deal have been rebuffed, the Mirror has filed two requests with the commissioners under the state’s Right-To-Know Law in an effort to gain more information.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.