MOUNT CARMEL - A prominent building in the borough might be auctioned off if back taxes are not paid.
The former Holy Spirit School, 252 W. Avenue, will be offered for sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 17 at a Northumberland County Tax Claim Bureau Upset Sale if the Global Nuclear Disarmament Fund (GNDF) does not pay at least $6,943.64, the total for school, borough and county taxes owed for 2012 and 2013. The GNDF also owes $3,533.97 for 2014, making the grand total owed $10,477.61.
The expected upset price is $16,108.04. The initial bid includes costs, recording fees, advertising, transfer fees and expected 2015 taxes.
Big plans
The GNDF had an interesting - and short-lived - history in Mount Carmel, beginning in the spring 2009 when Varkal Inc. sold the large corner property to GNDF for $70,000, then ending in winter 2011 when the GNDF pulled out of a project to establish a Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) after suffering "financial losses" as a result of an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe that devastated Japan.
GNDF, an international organization founded by Nobel Prize winners and nuclear scientists who advocate peace and supervise the dismantlement of nuclear weapons, was formed to facilitate the public participation in the dismantlement of nuclear weapons by generating money that is paid directly to the nuclear agency or official entity designated by each government in charge of the dismantlement process.
Lofty goals for the Mount Carmel project included having as many as 100 undergraduate and post-graduate college students training at the former school to prepare them to work at embassies, foreign ministries, the United Nations and other organizations around the globe. There was also discussion of a summer concert series at the school or Silver Bowl headlined by GNDF supporters, such as Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul and Mary fame to Black Eyed Peas.
In 2010, the building was retrofitted with a new roof and mold removal had started. Matt Taylor, executive director for GNDF, eventually said "unexpected costs" to bring the building up to code was a factor in deciding to halt the project.
"The many additional code requirements that were added to the project long after we had started means upwards of an additional $1 million in capital will be required unless there are reasonable exemptions from Labor and Industry, fire code officials, etc," he said in 2011.
'Now being sold'
Officials from the Mount Carmel Code Enforcement Department said Wednesday the building has sat idle since 2011 and that Taylor and other GNDF officials have not been seen since. They said the building could be suffering from structural issues because of the lack of heat. Still, some pages for the GNDF website, http://gndfund.org, still list the former school as the location of SSI.
"The GNDF was never able to recover financially from losses related to it's main operations in Japan after the Mar. 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami," Taylor said in an email Thursday. "Loss of life and assets put the plans for the SSI on hold and it has become unlikely to continue. Unfortunately, the building is now being sold to a third party."
Notice of the sale is expected to be published Saturday in The News-Item. Interested buyers are not permitted to enter the property until a deed is received. Properties offered for upset sale do not convey free and clear title, just taxes owed. The bureau suggests that potential buyers should be cautious when researching the property.