The Carbon County Commissioners will open bids on Thursday for the demolition of the century old building that once served as a warehouse for the heavy parts used to service the railroad cars. The bids will be reviewed for conformance to specifications, enclosure of a bid bond, and lowest price.  

“We have the option of tabling, rejecting all of them or awarding them to the lowest responsible bidder,” said Bill O’Gurek, chairman of the Carbon County Commissioners. 

In the last election, O’Gurek and fellow Democrat Charlie Getz campaigned to develop the abandoned LVRR Packerton Yards into a site for industrial development. They are proceeding with their plan, a plan that has been generally well received—until recently. 

Camille Lore of Walnutport, a member of the Lehigh Canal Commission and a planner for Upper Milford Township, has asked the Commissioners to save the Packerton Railroad Repair Shops building. In an open letter to the Commissioners, printed in Monday’s Times News, she agues that, “people have realized that tearing down old buildings was not effective in past redevelopment efforts. Carbon County is now seeing in black and white dollar figures that tourism related to history and architecture is bringing money into the lives of local residents.” 

O’Gurek believes that because of the shape of the Packerton parcel, the building occupies the most desirable portion of the site. Further towards Lehighton, the site narrows and is less desirable for industry. O’Gurek suggests that these most southern 12-acres may be reserved for open space or recreation. 

Why the former warehouse is the last remaining significant building is not clear. When the LVRR left the site, it took down many buildings, but according to Alfred Feuerstein, the last yard master at the Packerton site, the other buildings were not substantial. The ware, on the other hand, is built like an armory. 

It is a two-story building, and the second floor is supported on heavy steel pillars to support the weight of the railroad car parts that were stored there. The pillars are both its feature and its problem. Developers have told the Commissioners that today’s industrial buildings have open-space designs that are free from pillars. Open space design allows for greater flexibility in laying out the space. 

 Feuerstein would like the building saved both “for sentimental reasons” and as a landmark. The Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission has the building listed as “eligible” for historic preservation status—the only structure currently on the list in Mahoning Township. 

“We’ve been talking to developers and people who have an interest in Packerton and every indication is that that building is of no use with regard to needs for industrial purposes,” explained O’Gurek. “We’re pretty firm in our position that it needs to come down. It may be a solid building but it is cost prohibitive to renovate.” 

“It doesn’t have to be taken down now,” he agreed, “but we are trying to get things in order, we are working on the access to the place, that’s one of our focuses and the other is to have that site ready to, at some point in time, lease it or sell it to someone who would put a building in that very spot.” 

O’Gurek’s concern is the lack of manufacturing jobs in Carbon County. He indicated the rate of unemployment in the County varies between seven and eight percent. “I’m aspiring to create jobs around here for people who need them.” 

Ms. Lore indicated that she has been planning on “gathering a group together, forming a website and engaging in a letter writing campaign similar to the one done by Save Our Steel in Bethlehem.” 

“We read Ms. Lore’s letter with interest,” said Gurek. “We believe we have our focus on the right target. That’s what we try to pursue.” 

The fate of the Packerton Shop building may be sealed when the bids are open tomorrow—or then again, maybe not.