Council receives single bid for condemned Williamsport City Hall, offering $455,000
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The City of Williamsport received a $455,000 bid to purchase the condemned City Hall at 245 W. Fourth St.
JBAS Realty Inc. of Jessup submitted the only bid on Wednesday, based on the bid document that went out July 31.
JBAS Realty Inc. is the same contractor founded and owned by John Basalyga, who bid $555,500 before but that offer expired without action taken on it about three years ago.
That is $100,500 less on paper. The JBAS Realty Inc. bid is expected to be reviewed by Scott Williams, assistant director of the city Department of Community and Economic Development and Planning and city planner, for completeness.
Basalyga's former proposal included a vow made by the Lackawanna County-based builder to not demolish the structure but instead restore the grandeur of the building constructed in 1888 as a post office. It was used as a courtroom and for a federal judge and it was used as City Hall in 1979 onward and is on the National Register of Historic Places list.
Basalyga intends to restore the upper level floors (second and third) into modern apartments of one- and two-bedroom models, similar to what was done down the street.
The lower level would be a cafe and gathering area that could include historical pieces honoring Williamsport's history.
Basalyga said three years ago that he wanted to bring life and foot traffic back to the corner.
The building's accessibility needs are to be done under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law, but it has a fully accessible ramp out front on Fourth Street.
City Hall underwent significant water damage in the summer of 2021 when rainwater seeped through the roof and gutter system and again in December of that year when a pipe burst.
Public Works Department officials told council the building cost about $50,000 a year to maintain, including to heat it.
It has been used on a limited basis by the city Bureau of Police for storage, but the city recently obtained $200,000 in state grant funding to pursue another location for such storage. Digitization of the paper documents inside the building was done through a grant obtained by the city.
If approved, JBAS Realty Inc. indicated in bid attachments that construction is not expected to happen until mid-2028, and would take about one year, according to Pennlive.com.
Public Financial Management of Philadelphia, the city's financial management consulting team, said the city should unload the 40,000 square foot building but not for the purposes of creating a WAWA market, or less suitable purpose for the downtown.
Last October, council debated selling and leasing back space so the city could stay temporarily but no action was taken.
On June 25, Councilman Jonah Milliken sponsored a resolution to solicit bids for the sale – not to accept any.
After a long debate over preservation language and deed restrictions to protect the historic exterior and building, council voted to refine the request for proposals which became an invitation for bids.