'Ops Center' for sale
Plus: new business coming to Tennis Center?'

The massive Operations Center has been branded with the nickname 'the Mausoleum.'

Adelphia's massive Operations Center on Coudersport's South Main Street - arguably the most expensive and ornate building ever constructed in Potter County - is now on the sale block.

A spokesman for the Adelphia estate confirmed that a real estate professional is marketing the property to prospective buyers at an asking price considerably lower than the building's original cost, which was more than $20 million.

It's yet another step in the former cable television giant's five-year-long dissolution after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Another massive building in the downtown area, the former Coudersport Elementary School, is owned by Time Warner Cable. The Potter County Board of Commissioners announced in May that Time Warner had agreed to donate that property to the county, but the transfer has been delayed.

Commissioners Ken Wingo, John Torok and Cathy Bowers remain firm in their resolve to convert that former office complex into a county government annex, despite protests by those who believe the building should remain available for private industry.

Time Warner is also poised to donate a third major structure in Coudersport, the former "Tennis Center" on the town's west side, to the Potter County Redevelopment Authority.

Announcement Tuesday

Assuming politicians can determine who will break the news -- a visit to Coudersport by Gov. Ed Rendell is the likely scenario -- the announcement that a major employer has agreed to occupy the Tennis Center is expected on Tuesday.

The company, which has not been publicly identified, handles inbound and outbound sales and service on a contract basis. Among its clients are cable television companies, major market newspapers and magazines, and credit card companies, among others.

No estimate of new jobs has been released. The initial hiring is expected to be less than 50, ramping up to more than 400 in the coming months.

Last July, Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc. bought Adelphia's cable properties for $17.6 billion. Time Warner took over the majority of former Adelphia properties in Coudersport and terminated most of the remaining Adelphia workforce.

The Adelphia estate continues the lengthy process of paying creditors and closing down its business. A small group of executives in Denver and a staff of about 50 in Coudersport continue to work for the Adelphia estate. Several of the Coudersport employees were recently notified that they'll lose their jobs as of July 31.