North Cornwall Township rejects plan to relocate historic Patch Mansion

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The North Cornwall Township Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to reject a request from the Historic Preservation Trust of Lebanon County to allow the transportation of the historic Patch Mansion onto township property at its meeting Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Trust representative Laura Kise first presented the board with updated figures for the trust’s plan to have the mansion moved from its current location at the former Lebanon Catholic property to space behind the township building at 330 S. 18th St.

Costs to move the building, including estimated fees to place a new foundation and utility relocation, were estimated at $425,000. The full project (with the trust hoping to restore the building and use it as a museum and rentable space) was estimated to cost around $4,000,000.

This came after North Cornwall Township supervisors, having agreed to consider the idea, asked trust representatives to come back with more information on logistics.

Supervisor William Yeagley said he was in support of historic preservation, but that he worried about the minutia of transportation, such as details like fences, trees and utility lines that would need moved out of the way before moving the mansion.

With all demolition on the former Lebanon Catholic property to conclude by March 13, a move would be on a tight timeline. Yeagley said he was concerned about delays from utility companies.

Yeagley said that even if the move was completed successfully, he worried there was no guarantee the mansion would be brought up to code and put to use. He said several residents have voiced concerns to him that if the trust could not secure funds to make repairs, the township could be stuck with an out-of-code and possibly dangerous building.

Supervisor Mike Wahmann seconded this point, noting that he had received similar feedback from residents.

“I think we all have good intentions here, but I don’t think the financial wherewithal is there to accomplish the goal here,” said Wahmann. “The reality of it is, I just don’t think it’s a workable plan. I was enthusiastic and wanted to hear all your comments, and as Bill said, we’d love to be able to preserve the history, but I don’t see this as feasible.”

Wahmann said the township was willing to allow the construction of a monument to Captain Alexander Patch in Gloninger Woods Park, should the trust not work out plans with Lebanon School District to establish a monument on former Lebanon Catholic grounds.

“We again, appreciate your willingness to consider the monument even though you’re not obligated and it’s not on the exact land related to him,” said Kise. “So if, for some reason, our communications with the school — as they haven’t always been the most direct — don’t come out about them doing that, we’d love to come back. We have enough funds for that.”

Read More: Lebanon Catholic property contains the Donaghmore Mansion and the historic Patch estate

Kise asked if the township would be willing to reconsider if the trust secured full funding for the project. Wahmann said that if that happened, they should call the township, though he said it seemed unlikely.

Supervisors also continued discussion of the Walden Road bridge replacement, which is planned for next year. Engineer Steve Sherk presented a draft, non-binding plan for a full-bank-width replacement estimated to cost between $526,791.50 and $636,791.50. The 26-foot span bridge, held up by a three-sided box culvert, would raise the road by a half-foot to reduce problems with flooding and debris.

Read More: North Cornwall Township plans to replace Walden Road bridge

Sherk said, though this option was slightly more costly than some others, it is likely to minimize future maintenance costs, with other types of plan more likely to risk scour and flooding.

Supervisors expressed support for the plan as presented. Wahmann said the township’s hope is to complete the project during the summer of 2026.

Sherk said he needed to continue looking into permitting prior to supervisors bidding the project or awarding it via COSTARs (Pennsylvania’s cooperative purchasing program), as well as regulations that will affect design and construction.

In other news, supervisors:

• Unanimously approved an amendment to the zoning ordinance which adds definitions for terms including data centers, adds more detail for regulation on residential accessory structures, and lays out requirements for data center uses (including a minimum lot area of 70 acres, as a conditional use in the industrial zone) following a public hearing. No members of the public made comment on the ordinance.

• Unanimously approved the stormwater management plan for Swiss Premium Dairy (2401 Walnut St.) for the addition of 24 truck parking spaces. Supervisors also unanimously approved the receipt of a letter of credit and O&M.
• Unanimously approved the land development plan for additional parking at Dairy Queen (2600 W. Cumberland St.) and accepted the associated letter of credit.
• Unanimously approved a payment of $206,367.98 to JEV Construction for the Dairy Road Pump Station project.
• Unanimously agreed to a resolution amending line items in the 2026 budget, which Wahmann said maintains a balanced budget.
• Unanimously agreed to advertise a public hearing for the Cornwall-Lebanon comprehensive plan for Jan. 20.

Read More: Five municipalities advance regional development plan for Cornwall-Lebanon

The North Cornwall Board of Supervisors meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.