State Sen. David Argall will reintroduce a bill that would prohibit a fourth-class county from purchasing a property in a third-class city if the property is located in an area of the city targeted for revitalization, unless the affected city and school district have passed a resolution approving the purchase.

The House didn’t act on the bill before the legislative session ended in November. The Senate passed the bill Oct. 6. Argall wrote a Dec. 4 memorandum outlining his intentions.

The Senate is back in session Jan. 25. Argall didn’t have a date last week when he would reintroduce the bill.

Schuylkill First Assistant Solicitor Glenn Roth said Monday nothing new has changed regarding the county’s interest in the former Giant property at 500 Progress Ave. in Pottsville. The site closed July 9 after being in business for more than 30 years.

Edward Silvera, president of Surrey Equities LLC, which owns the property along with Winstanley Enterprises LLC, said last week no offer had been made on the property.

Schuylkill Commissioners voted 2-1 in September with Commissioner Gary Hess voting “no” to make an offer on the property to be used for “county general purposes.”

A decision has not been made on what the property will be used for if purchased, but potential uses include a warehouse for storage, more room for county employees and even a prerelease center, which would be for nonviolent offenders. Those with drug, alcohol or mental health concerns could obtain treatment at the center.

City, business and legislative leaders and the public have voiced strong opposition to the purchase by the county. They say a better use for the property is to contribute to the economic revitalization of the area. Also, if the county buys the property, it will remove it from the tax rolls. The city and the Pottsville Area School District both previously approved resolutions against the purchase.