MINERSVILLE — The Minersville American Legion building is for sale.
The building at 3 E. Sunbury St. is priced at $17,500 and went up for sale Friday, Joe Post, broker with Holden Realty, Saint Clair, said Thursday.
Post, who is also the mayor of Minersville, said he met in the building as a member of Boy Scout Troop 196 in the basement. He said it is sad to see it be for sale. The building is not in the best of condition but is very spacious, he said.
Bob Laughlin, commander of American Legion Post 544, said they want to sell the building because it makes financial sense.
“The building has fallen into a state of disrepair and we simply cannot afford to keep it,” he said Thursday.
The three-story building has work that needs to be done. For example, it needs new windows, has plumbing issues and the roof needs to be repaired. The American Legion is still meeting on a monthly basis. He said the post is not closing despite rumors going around that it is.
“Our post was first commissioned in 1920,” he said.
Currently, there are 216 members. Usually, about 30 people come to the 7 p.m. monthly meetings held at Black Diamond Navy Club, 14 E. North St.
Laughlin is also the commander of the Black Diamond Navy Club, which is for those who have served or are serving in the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps.
The decision to sell the club did not come without much deliberation, he said. Three different votes were held at monthly meetings of the American Legion in December, January and February about the possible sale of the building.
“No veterans organization wants to give up their building,” he said of the building the club has owned since the 1940s.
August was the last time the Minersville American Legion held a meeting at the 3 E. Sunbury St. address, Laughlin said. Minimal expenses to keep the building involved $3,000 a year to heat it and $2,000 a year to insure it. The building has an oil burner, but because of the large building it is costly to heat. Several windows are also broken, permitting heat loss.
“It’s been steadily declining,” he said about the building’s condition. Selling it will allow the club to bank the money and in time find a new home.
The legion does do fundraisers and other events to generate revenue. Members pay dues of $30 a year, but of that, $27 goes to the state and national organization, he said.
Membership has dwindled over the years.
“At one time, we had over 600 members,” Laughlin said.
He said there are members who are in their 90s, adding most of them are of retirement age. He said some members want to keep the place open for pride’s sake.
“It’s a shame after all those years,” he said.