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Update Dec. 5, 12 p.m. – Following Tuesday’s meeting, representatives of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lebanon County received an updated moving cost. Laura Kise provided the following statement:
“The original moving and resetting cost for the mansion to be placed in a corner of the school district property was much lower and we had the funds for that. But since the school district will not entertain that option and we received more accurate cost estimates from the house and building movers in the last two weeks, the cost to move the mansion to the proposed site along 16th St. in N. Cornwall Township will be much higher, requiring additional funds from other potential benefactors, who have not yet responded positively. That is the most up-to-date status of circumstances.”
The North Cornwall Township Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to pass the drafted 2026 budget, with no planned tax increases, at its meeting Tuesday.
The budget, viewable in full below, includes $5,055,530 in total revenues and expenditures. Supervisors have lauded the police budget, which increased from $2,246,604 this year to $2,369,702 in 2026 (a 2.6% increase despite a three% salary increase for officers).
North Cornwall Township 2026 Budget
Supervisors unanimously approved routine resolutions to appropriate funds for 2026 and fix tax rates for 2026.
Supervisors also announced that, though an executive session was held prior to the meeting to discuss the possibility of the Patch Mansion being moved onto township property, no decision has been made. Representatives of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lebanon County have been asked to return with more information at the board’s next meeting Dec. 16.
Chair Mike Wahmann said that, though supervisors requested at the board’s late November meeting that Trust representatives return with more information, they did not have much more information than they had last month. He said the trust has not been able to provide a cost estimate for the mansion’s movement or detailed plans for its renovation and use after the move.
Read More:
- Lebanon SD bids Lebanon Catholic demolition, will tear down mansion
- Lebanon Catholic property contains the Donaghmore Mansion and the historic Patch estate
- [Letter] Preservationists make final plea to save General Patch’s boyhood home
- N. Cornwall supes punt on Patch mansion vote amid unclear funding and timeline
- Historic Preservation Trust scrambles to find location for Patch Mansion
The township, he said, has not made a decision yet, but hopes for more information soon. After Lebanon School District has completed abatement (estimated Dec. 26), a contractor will begin demolishing structures on the former Lebanon Catholic property, with the Patch Mansion last on the demolition schedule, Wahmann said.
Last month, Lebanon superintendent Dr. Nicole Malinoski confirmed that the school board is willing to let the trust move the mansion “as long as it does not interfere with the demolition timeline,” and said that demolition is expected to be completed by March 13.
If the township agreed to house the mansion, it would be placed behind the township building (as Gloninger Woods Park, Wahmann said, is not a good fit for the building). The trust would also need to schedule the move, including getting temporary no-parking restrictions on roads traveled by the moving company.
Jan Morrissey of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lebanon County has said that the organization has funds to move the mansion, as well as place a new foundation. Funding for the future of the project, such as renovations down the line, is murkier, though they say a descendent of Captain Alexander Patch has expressed willingness for the family to contribute some funds towards the mansion’s potential use as a museum.
The school district, as well as the City of Lebanon and the Lebanon County Historical Society, are not willing or able to house the mansion, Morrissey said.
In addition to museum uses, the trust also hopes the mansion could offer community space for the township and other organizations.
Wahmann asked attendees of Tuesday’s meeting for their thoughts on whether the township should house the historic structure, which yielded mixed results with one resident in favor and two (including former township manager Tom Long) opposed.
“First of all, this is like a rush here, only a few months to do something like this, and this is going to cost a million dollars or more to get these things done,” said Long. “There’s been no planning in this … and I know full well how long it takes to do projects the right way. This township, in the past, sometimes — not the current board present but going way back — made decisions that cost the township a lot of money, and I don’t want to see that happen in this case.”
Read More: Tom Long retires as North Cornwall Township manager after 27 years (2024)
Long said that, in his free time, he volunteers with a museum out of the county, adding that though he supports historic preservation, it requires continuous funds to maintain. He voiced concern the building may become “a white elephant” if the trust became unable to maintain it in the future.
Wahmann said the board appreciated the public comments and will take it into consideration as it deliberates on this issue.
In other news, supervisors:
- Tabled action on a stormwater management plan for 2401 Walnut St. (Swiss Premium Dairy), which is adding 24 truck parking spaces and associated stormwater management facilities, while the township awaits receipt of financial security for the plan.
- Unanimously approved a final letter of credit reduction of $93,682.02 from phase one of the North Cornwall Commons development.
- Unanimously agreed to proceed with Cohen Law for cable franchise agreement negotiations with Verizon, which has reached out to the township to establish an agreement. The township already has such an agreement with Comcast, managed by Cohen Law, and Wahmann said the township has been well-served by Cohen in the past.
- Heard that the township has received a resubmission for the Dairy Queen plan at 2600 W. Cumberland St., which is now in review by the township engineer.
- Unanimously authorized a change order of $3,636.53 from JEV Construction for the Dairy Road Pump Station project due to a masonry modification.
- Unanimously approved minutes and reports, with supervisor William Yeagley abstained from two checks on the treasurer’s report.
North Cornwall Township meets the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.
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