This past Monday, Jim Daughenbaugh, Chairman of the Snyder Township Board of Supervisors, revoked the occupancy permit for Pyramid Healthcare Inc.’s Greentree Village located in Bald Eagle. A letter was sent out Tuesday to inform Pyramid.
Despite the revoked occupancy permit, Greentree Village will remain open because the facility never needed the permit to begin with.
Daughenbaugh and Snyder Township’s lawyer, Mr. Allen Gibboney, met to discuss and read over the permit which was found to only pertain to a new building, not an old building that has been there for years.
“Revoking the occupancy permit doesn’t do anything; Pyramid didn’t even need it,” said Daughenbaugh.
He continued, “It said that the owner of the building had to get the occupancy permit, but Pyramid’s not the owners of the building. Labor and Industries are the ones who give the occupancy permit, not us, because it’s an old building.”
Labor and Industries have inspected the Greentree Village facility this past August 26. Inspector Scott Brown indicated that violations exist of the Laws and/or regulations by the Department of Labor and Industries. A list of eleven items are needed to be remedied if the facility was to be used as a school.
Daughenbaugh added, “Greentree Village has until January 6 to comply with the problems found, but Labor and Industries couldn’t shut it down either.”
Andrea Shope, Director of Media and Community Relations at Pyramid, was surprised at the rumors of Greentree Village being shut down.
“We are definitely not shut down,” said Shope. “My understanding about the Snyder Township occupancy permit was that is was issued to us although we didn’t need it. After the fact, it was determined that only a new building needs an occupancy permit under those regulations.”
She added, “That’s something we were trying to follow all the rules for and Mr. Daughenbaugh gave us that permit, but it came out that it really wasn’t required. I don’t think it’s an issue with the permit being revoked.”
Shope noted that Pyramid is planning on building a new building to use as a school, but if the building isn’t completed by the January 6 deadline for the eleven violations on the building being used now, the old building will be in compliance by January 6.
“They were simple problems; if the new building can’t be built by January 6, then the problems will be taken care of on the existing building,” said Shope.
