What will happen to Rockview’s vast property? PA lawmakers push for transparency

Any sale of Rockview state prison’s vast, valuable land between State College and Bellefonte would face greater transparency under a bipartisan bill state lawmakers plan to introduce.

State Reps. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, and Dallas Kephart, R-Clearfield/Cambria, said Wednesday their bill would require any sale of land associated with a former state prison to follow “specific procedures.”

That would include disclosure of all bids and bidders, oversight by Pennsylvania’s attorney general’s office and publication of the sale in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, a weekly publication for the state’s government.

Some Centre County residents, as well as elected officials, have wondered aloud about the possibility of “sweetheart deals” since February when Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration first floated and later followed through with closing Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp.

“That property that we’re looking at in Centre County is some of the most valuable property in the county, if not the state,” Conklin said at a press conference in Harrisburg. “This property has — in the past — gone for pennies on the dollar for some individuals to make millions of dollars. That process has to stop.”

With more than 5,700 acres, Rockview has far more land than any other state prison and much of it is rolling farmlands along the booming Benner Pike corridor.

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.

Neither Conklin, Kephart nor state Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, said they were aware of any potential buyer as of Wednesday. Conklin described the bill as a “preemptive strike.”

Others have speculated Penn State will acquire the property, but Kephart and Takac said they have no indication the university is interested.

Regardless, Kephart said the intent of the legislation is to ensure it’s a public and open bidding process.

“I don’t care if the potential buyer’s a Republican or Democrat or Libertarian or Independent or Green or whatever. It doesn’t matter,” Kephart said while flanked by two Democrats. “It should be open to the public.”

Takac said he will be watching the state Department of Corrections particularly closely over the next fourth months to make sure the closure is handled responsibly. He said local taxpayers should not be burdened by the closure and that the DOC’s promised savings are actually delivered.

The estimated annual costs of mothballing Rockview would be about $1.6 million, according to a DOC report. The agency said the prison would have required about $74 million in upgrades over the next five years — the highest cost of any state prison.

“Any decision to divest or sell must result in a long-term benefit to the people and communities of Centre County,” Takac said. “... That land and those assets belong to us, the people of Pennsylvania, held in trust. Any future changes must take that into account.”

Centre County’s commissioners have also been among those who have advocated for transparency in any potential sale. Speaking at a meeting last month, Commissioner Steve Dershem said he is “looking very much forward to seeing, hopefully in the near term, what their plan is for those facilities.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 1:47 PM.

Bret Pallotto

Centre Daily Times

814-231-4648

Bret Pallotto primarily reports on courts and crime for the Centre Daily Times. He was raised in Mifflin County and graduated from Lock Haven University.