Spotlight PA reported this week that the Shapiro administration has spent more than $6 million in public dollars over the past four months to repair the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg, which was set on fire in April.

According to their coverage, state officials “are shielding information about nearly a quarter of those expenses — including who was paid and exactly what the money was spent on.”

In May, Pennsylvania’s five living former governors—Ed Rendell, Tom Corbett, Tom Wolf, Tom Ridge, and Mark Schweiker—hosted a private fundraiser to help fund the repairs. At the time, approximately $500,000 in repairs were needed that were not covered by insurance, The Inquirer said.

Spotlight PA noted that private donors have contributed to a fund to help with restoration, though the donors’ identities, what that money has or will be used for, or the amount they contributed, have not been disclosed.

Four days after the fire, Department of General Services (DGS) Secretary Reggie McNeil provided the following update: 

At the direction of Governor Shapiro, DGS is working closely with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to restore the Governor’s residence to full operation to ensure the Governor and his family, residence staff, and Pennsylvanians can return to the building quickly and safely. I want to thank our partners in law enforcement for their work getting everyone to safety after the attack, extinguishing the fire, and ensuring everyone’s security throughout the upcoming restoration.

DGS has set an aggressive restoration and construction schedule that will have us welcoming the public back to the residence as soon as possible. This will require round-the-clock work by our dedicated teams and contractors — a challenge DGS is ready and equipped to meet. As a result of that quick work, the living quarters and the workspace at the Governor’s Residence will be ready to be reopened within the next few days. 

The same day of the fire, Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated arson, and terrorism offenses for setting the fire.

You can read Spotlight PA’s article here.

Photo: Commonwealth Media Services