County buying Evans City church building for senior center, district court
The county is buying a building in Evans City that houses the senior center with plans to make it the home of the district court office and a civic training center.
At their Wednesday, July 23, meeting, the commissioners approved a sales agreement to buy Ritzert Hall, the social hall of a former church, at 426 E. Main St., for $750,000 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Already home to the Evans City Senior Center, the building will eventually become the new home for district court 50-3-06, currently located at 202 E. Main St.
“This is a really wonderful building that our facilities crew has checked out thoroughly,” said Leslie Osche, chairman of the board of commissioners.
A search for a new district court office with more parking and better accessibility had been going on for two years, Osche said. The new building also has a secure rear entrance, she added.
The county would have looked for a new home for the senior center or combined it with another center if another party had bought the building, she said. Osche commended Beth Herold, Butler County Area Agency on Aging director, for informing the commissioners the building was for sale.
Adding a civic training center in the building helps solve the difficult problem of finding places for training, she said.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel said the commissioners took advantage of a great opportunity to buy the building. He noted the building has an elevator.
The building is in great condition and no work is needed on the main floor where the senior center is, but renovations will be needed to accommodate the magistrate’s office, Osche said.
A timetable for opening the district court and training center has not been set.
Solicitor Julie Graham said she’s optimistic that final details of the sale can be resolved with the diocese. Adhering to the County Code, she said the property was appraised twice — once by the county appraiser and once by an independent appraiser — and both appraisals validated the purchase price, she said.
