Herald-Standard
Friday, November 4, 2005

County, Waynesburg business OK lease agreement
BY JOSH KRYSAK

WAYNESBURG- The Greene County Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to authorize a lease agreement between the county and a Waynesburg business for use of the Curry Memorial Home.

Separation Design Group, LLC of Waynesburg has agreed to terms of a five-year, $190,000 lease on the building, which includes an option to buy at the end of the lease agreement.

Additionally, Commission Chairwoman Pam Snyder said the agreement includes the estimated $100,000 renovation of the building, paid for by government grants.

The county-owned property in Franklin Township was deeded to the county from Francis Curry in the 1980's and served as housing for area senior citizens until being closed in the early 1990's.

Commissioner Dave Coder said the property has not been in use for 13 years and the county has been working to try and get the parcel back on the county tax rolls.

Coder said the county has examined everything from demolition to renovation of the building, which has fallen into disrepair and also contains asbestos, but in the end found the agreement with SDGroup the best option.

"This company has a great high tech concept," Coder said.

Snyder agreed: "This is a chance to get the home back on the tax rolls.

SDGroup, which is currently located along Elm Drive in Waynesburg, is a product development company that employs scientific techniques to study molecular separation.

And while the description of what the company does may sound confusing, Snyder said the possible advantages and practical uses of the research could prove pivotal in technological development in medicine and other fields.

"One of the things they are working on is the separation of oxygen," Snyder said. "They are breaking it down to where the tanks you see in use by people today will not be needed. They will fit in your hand. That is just one application of their research.

She described the developing "oxygen concentrator" as self-sustaining as well, noting that SDGroup is working to allow the device to draw the oxygen used by patients directly from the air around them, rather that the canned air now utilized.

The company was founded by Doug and Judith Galbraith of Holbrook, and has grown into a 10-employee operation that has received more than $250,000 in federal grants for their work.

Subcontracts from the company also include Waynesburg College and RJ Lee Group, the anchor tenant at the county's new technology park, another plus according to the commissioners



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