Is Penn State interested in the Rockview prison property? What the university said
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Penn State said it is interested in Rockview land and wants input on reuse.
- State officials gave no confirmation of acquisition plans as local representatives call it rumor.
- Rockview includes more than 5,700 acres near campus and poses complex transfer issues.
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Pennsylvania prison closures
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has announced that it will move forward with a proposal to close Rockview state prison and Quehanna Boot Camp. The move is aimed at saving tens of millions of dollars but will affect the lives of hundreds of workers in central Pennsylvania, as well as the local economy.
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As speculation swirls over the future of the soon-to-be-closed Rockview state prison property, Penn State said it’s interested in how the land might be used — but stopped short of confirming any plans to acquire it.
In a statement Wednesday, the university acknowledged its interest in the vast property’s future given its proximity to the University Park campus and expressed a desire to be involved in conversations about its potential use.
They didn’t confirm any plans, but they also didn’t close the door — leaving open the possibility that Penn State could play a role in shaping or even owning part of the property if it becomes available.
“Given its proximity to the University Park campus, we are interested in how the property will be used in the future,” a Penn State spokesperson said in an email to the Centre Daily Times. “We hope to be part of the conversations exploring how the property can best be used to serve the Centre Region.”
Speculation about the university’s interest in the property has been persistent since February when Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration first floated and later followed through with closing Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp. State Rep. Dallas Kephart, R-Clearfield/Cambria, said during a press conference Wednesday that he’s heard some version of the claim “constantly.”
But he and state Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, said Wednesday they had no indication the university was interested in the property that sits about 5.8 miles away from Old Main as the crow flies.
“Maybe they are interested. Maybe they’re not,” Kephart said. “I don’t know and I could say that over a Bible.”
Acquiring any of the more than 5,700 acres along the booming Benner Pike corridor wouldn’t be uncharted territory for Penn State.
The university owns about 400 acres they previously bought from the state on the other side of Interstate 99 and about 2,500 additional acres throughout the rest of Benner Township. The assessed value is nearly $13.7 million, township Secretary Sharon Royer told the Centre Daily Times.
Rockview has far more land than any other state prison and much of it is rolling farmlands between the State College and Bellefonte areas. State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, described it Wednesday as some of the “most valuable property in the county, if not the state.”
The Shapiro administration has not indicated what it plans to do with much of the property once Rockview closes, which could happen as soon as mid-January. The government would need to hold onto at least some of the land for next-door Benner Township state prison.
