PINE GROVE -- The Pine Grove Armory in Schuylkill County has been vacant since 2013, but that will soon change.
Pine Grove borough just bought this building for $60,000 and plans to turn it into a community center.
"It will be a great asset to the community of Pine Grove," said Mayor Will Shiffer.
The borough was the only bidder for the armory, so they got the building by default.
Either way, people in the community are excited to see the historic building get a facelift.
Russell Stump of Pine Grove said he remembers using the armory back when he was in the Navy.
"It gives an opportunity for the seniors, the students, the kids, anybody to have a place to come and hang out," said Stump.
The mayor said the borough plans to move the Pine Grove Police Department into the basement of the building.
"Currently our police department operates out of a room about the size of a bedroom," said Shiffer.
In the current police station, a bench is the only holding cell, but when the department moves into the armory the police will have an actual holding cell, one with four walls.
"Working area conditions are just going to be 10 times better and safer than we have right here," said Pine Grove Police Chief Tom Trotter.
"The police are here. The kids can come here and feel safe. The adults can feel safe. Lots of possibilities."
The rest of the building will be a community center, including a gym and offices, but it won't all happened overnight. The borough needs to get the money to fix the place up by applying for grants.
"Whatever we can to get money to upgrade the building because it has to be brought up to code," said Shiffer.
The mayor said it could take a few years to raise the money.
He estimates it could cost about $150,000 to renovate the former armory.
