The Blair County commissioners are looking to spend nearly $600,000 for more than 80 acres of land on which to build a new prison.

The Altoona Mirror and other media outlets filed Right-To-Know requests for the Letter of Intent, among a variety of other documents, and while the request was originally denied, the commissioners released the Letter of Intent after appeals were filed with the Office of Open Records.

The letter was sent Oct. 23, 2025, to Joe Williams, senior vice president of operations for Pennsylvania Terminals Corp., the company that owns the two parcels of land along Dunnings Highway in Duncansville.

The Mirror identified the property in January as being in Blair and Allegheny townships, behind the former Inlow’s Drive-In.

The commissioners, on behalf of Blair County, are seeking to purchase a 77-acre tract and an adjoining 6.25-acre parcel for a total of $585,000. A deposit of $50,000 was put down on the site, as per the agreement.

According to the letter, the due diligence period was set at 120 days to complete a wetland assessment, geotechnical testing, boundary/topographic survey, utility investigation and phase 1 environmental assessment.

LtrOfIntent

The settlement on the purchase agreement was to occur on or before Feb. 28, 2026.

While it is unclear if an extension was requested and received, last week Commissioners Chair David Kessling said the county is awaiting environmental information that couldn’t be collected while snow was on the ground.

“They’ve agreed to sell, but we don’t have a sales agreement yet,” Kessling said at that time.

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

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

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.

Confidentiality terms

Terms outlined in the Letter state that both the commissioners and Pennsylvania Terminals Corp. “agree to keep confidential all communications, contracts (including this letter of intent), and other non-public information related to this transaction.”

The Mirror and other media outlets contend that while the county can discuss land purchases in private to protect their buying power, a vote to issue the Letter of Intent should have been handled during a public meeting, as per the Sunshine Act.

The plan to construct a new prison will likely mean residents will see property tax increases in the coming years.

The Mirror continues to seek additional documents related to the agreement and has filed appeals with the Office of Open Records.