Sen. Scott Hutchinson is pictured reading from a statement from his swearing-in on Wednesday. On Thursday, Hutchinson participated in a Senate Majority Policy Committee meeting and called on the state Department of General Services to come up with a plan to reuse vacant state-owned facilities.

State Sen. Scott Hutchinson is among the Republicans who want the state Department of General Services to put up or shut up when it comes to empty state-owned buildings.

Hutchinson, R-Oil City, was among the senators who called on the state Department of General Services to end their delays and find ways to reuse long-vacant centers Hamburg, White Haven and Polk. The comments came during a public hearing Thursday hosted by the Senate Majority Policy Committee. The committee is chaired by Sen. Dave Argall, R-Mahanoy City, while the hearing was hosted by Hutchinson and Sen. Chris Gebhard, R-Lebanon. Nine senators participated.

“It’s been 1,948 days since former Sec. Curt Topper of DGS based his testimony on reselling state properties around this principle: ‘Time is Money,'” Argall said. “I certainly agree, but since then, these three state centers sit vacant after they were closed by Governor Wolf. Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve MUCH better.”

Argall pointed to three examples of state properties that were heated, staffed, with water and sewer services maintained, before ultimately being demolished: the Harrisburg State Hospital, which has sat vacant for 18 years; Allentown State Hospital, which sat vacant for 10 years; and SCI Pittsburgh, which sat vacant for 7 years. The estimated costs for maintaining these properties before tearing them down totals more than $115 million.

“I am excited for the possibilities to get these unused properties back in action again contributing to the local economy,” said Gebhard. “Our state is approaching a fiscal cliff, and we can’t afford to keep squandering tax dollars on vacant buildings.”

More than $47 million has been spent thus far to maintain the Hamburg, White Haven, and Polk centers. The state has spent approximately $3.9 million per year to maintain the Hamburg Center since it closed in 2018, totaling $23 million. Both the White Haven and Polk centers closed in 2023, with estimated annual cost totaling $8.9 million and $15.3 million, respectively. Future costs are expected to exceed $28 million a year, with no effort by DGS to market the properties.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services made plans to close these facilities–some of them decades ago–but has completely failed to come up with any plan for the future of the properties,” said Hutchinson. “It’s time for them to stop wasting taxpayer dollars and finally put these lands to use in a way that benefits the public.”