Location, location, location

Buyer plans to relocate business park adjacent to I-84

By TOM KANE

MILFORD, PA - Pike County finally may have a buyer for its business park after many years of trying, but don’t hold your breath.

“We’re under contract; the buyer wants to buy the park outright, lock, stock and barrel,” said Rachel Hendricks, deputy director of the Pike Industrial Development agency.

The only sticking point is that John Herman, an entrepreneur from Reading, PA, who has built several successful business parks in the east, wants to swap the current site, which is on Route 434, formerly known as the Well Road, with Pennsylvania Game Commission lands that are adjacent to Route 84W, just east of the Lord’s Valley exit.

Why the swap?

The new site would be directly contiguous to Interstate Route 84, a major artery of the interstate system, and it fits in with the other businesses in the area on Route 84 and Route 739, like the cement factory, the junk yard and 84 Lumber Company, Hendricks said.

There’s a lot of plusses for both parties in such a swap, she said.

“There would be no heavy truck traffic bothering the residences at the current site,” she said.

A positive aspect of the swap for the commission would be that, if they take over the current site of the park, it would be contiguous to other acreage that they own with a state forest behind that, she said.

Another proviso is that Herman build a new road into the new site at his expense.

“As soon as you would come off I-84 and turn toward the [Pike County] jail, before you would reach Route 434, the new road would be constructed immediately on the right,” she said.

The current park site is about 600 acres. “It isn’t clear yet how many acres the game land will be,” she said.

The only structure at the current site is a sewage treatment plant, which was built a few years ago, and has never been used. Other constructed sections of the site are a number of roads, which also have never been used.

“Any change of game commission land must go to the game commission board for its approval,” said Jerry Feaser, game commission spokesman. “Staff is not empowered to make decisions like that. At this time, we have not received an official proposal. Past discussions have not been met with enthusiasm by our agency. Until we see the actual proposal, we are not able to comment.”

Hendricks said that a local hospital has indicated an interest in the new location as a possible site for an emergency medical facility.