Siblings plan $1.83 million renovation

Lancaster New Era
October 8, 2008
By TIM MEKEEL, New Era Staff Writer

A new funeral home will open in Lancaster with the help of a $275,000 state loan, it was announced Tuesday.

R. Fred Groff III and his sister Lisa will establish the Groff Family Funeral Home at 528 W. Orange St.

The siblings bought the 15,000-square-foot historic structure from Allan Geller, a local businessman, and will renovate the building in a $1.83 million project, the state said.

The Groffs could not be reached for comment by deadline this morning.

Lisa Groff is a licensed supervisor at the Fred F. Groff Inc. funeral home three blocks away, which was sold by their family in 1999.

R. Fred Groff III is licensed supervisor of Groff-High-Eckenroth Funeral Home in New Holland, a spokeswoman for the siblings said.

The effect of the project on their current jobs was not immediately available.

Their new Orange Street location dates to the 1870s. Over the years it housed a farmers market, roller rink and car dealership.

In recent years, Geller used it to house his Visions Marketing and Elite Auto Group, which sells and leases specialty and high-end vehicles.

With the sale of the building, Visions moved to Mountville but Elite will stay, leasing a small space, said Geller.

The funeral home project is among 14 commercial, agricultural and financing ventures receiving $11.3 million in state funds Tuesday.

Receiving money from the state Building PA program, through the Economic Development Co. of Lancaster County, were the funeral home project plus two more previously announced ventures:

  • Developer Ed Drogaris received a $1.2 million loan to help fund the $10.4 million conversion of two former Armstrong World Industries buildings at Charlotte and Liberty streets.  These would become mixed-use buildings; a third would be razed.  Plans for this project, located behind his Liberty Placeproject, which turned the former Armstrong headquarters into offices, date to 2005.
  • Developer Bill Roberts received a $2.3 million loan to help fund the $9.4 million conversion of the former Tidy Products sewing factory in Columbia into an agri-tourism destination.  The attraction would be anchored by the Turkey Hill Experience, an interactive exhibit operated by the dairy. The New Era disclosed these plans last month.
  • In addition, the state allocated $3.7 million to replenish the EDC’s allotment of Building PA money, which was used for the three projects approved Tuesday, plus earlier ones for Auntie Anne and Drogaris.  Established in December 2006, the EDC fund supports the redevelopment of older buildings in Lancaster city and the boroughs of Columbia, Elizabethtown, Ephrata, Lititz, Manheim and MountJoy.

In a separate initiative, the state Tuesday approved 10 loans from its First Industries Fund to finance the growth of local farms, again with the EDC‘s support.

Receiving $200,000 loans are:

Ira and Priscilla Beiler, to buy a 68-acre Bart Township dairy farm;
Jared and Shelby Rottmund, to buy a 10-acre Martic Township hog farm;
Duane and Stacy Swanger, to buy a 57-acre Conoy Township farm;
David and Janelle Breckbill, to build a layer house on a Strasburg Township farm;
Andrew and Andrea Bollinger, to buy a 77-acre Warwick Township farm.

And Kirby Nissley, to buy an 88-acre Rapho Township farm;
Eric and Melissa Herr, to buy a 100-acre West Lampeter Township farm;
S.A. Kreider & Sons, to buy a 78-acre East Drumore Township dairy farm;
Robert and Andrea Brubaker, to build two broiler houses on a Rapho Township farm;
and Randell and Jodie Brubaker, to buy an 83-acre Rapho Township farm.

·Staff writer Tim Mekeel can be reached at tmekeel@LNPnews.com or 481-6030.


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