Pennhurst proposals

By TONY ROBERTS, troberts@phoenixvillenews.com

For two decades, the tattered remnants of the Pennhurst State Hospital have haunted 100 acres of hillside in the northern corner of East Vincent Township.


The site has been a tough sell due to extensive environmental problems, restrictive development laws and limited access. Nonetheless, there has been significant interest in the property recently.


The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) named Pennhurst as one of five potential sites for the proposed veterans cemetery in Southeastern Pennsylvania. West Chester-based Alliance Environmental also made a presentation to the township supervisors in May. The group wants to undertake the massive environmental cleanup of the site, and believes they can do it at no cost to the township.


Alliance co-founder Senya Isayeff explained the process to the board at a May meeting. He said his company would form a corporation that would take title to the land by purchasing it from the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DSG). Isayeff said a series of tax credits available to the owner of the land would make it feasible for the private company to complete the work. The only thing the group needs, according to Isayeff, is the blessing of the township. While the DSG is eager to make surplus state properties like Pennhurst viable projects, it also insists on honoring the wishes of the community.


"We want to do what the local municipality wants. We want them to be happy with the decision," said DSG Press Secretary Frank Kane. "We'd like to sell them (surplus properties) and get them back on the tax rolls."


Isayeff said he has made his case, and is waiting for the township to make a move.


"I would characterize it more in terms of that we have had to step back from the active effort of brining this to fruition because there's really nothing else we can do," he said Friday. "It's really up to others to see if they want this project to go forward."


Supervisor Ryan Costello said the board's hands are tied by potential legal issues right now.


"It's not our property, and so in that regard, if and when we would ever review any sort of plan or proposal it would likely be in connection with whomever it is that has some sort of interest in the property that would allow us to review it in our capacity as supervisors," he said Friday. "We don't have any answers right now."


If Alliance Environmental were to rehabilitate the site, the work would be extensive. There is asbestos in the buildings, and hanging from pipes on the property. There are no trespassing signs and doors on abandon structures swinging open. The property has also become a safety hazard as area youth have gotten into the buildings and vandalized the property. The expensive cost of asbestos abatement would drive the total cost of the project up, but Isayeff is confident it cannot only be done, but that some of the buildings could be saved.


After the environmental cleanup, there would be two primary possibilities for the site. Zoning restrictions prevent substantial development, but there is support for a park on the site. There could also be support for a veterans cemetery. In recommending Southeastern Pennsylvania, the VA had to explore five potential sites. Valley Forge National Park is the preferred choice of veterans and area congressman, however, they could face an uphill battle from the National Park Service and conservation groups. The other three sites are the Norristown State Hospital grounds, the former Embreeville State Hospital site and Graterford State Prison. Veterans have largely balked at the latter two sites, meaning Pennhurst and Norristown could be in the running if Valley Forge falls through.


Alliance Environmental specializes in asbestos abatement, air quality control and demolition. The company was named business of the year by the West Chester Chamber of Commerce in June.