12 p.m. - Rosemont Manor sold

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NEW CUMBERLAND - The property known as Rosemont Manor has a new owner following a successor trustee's sale held this morning at the Hancock County Courthouse.

Williams Country Club, located on Marland Heights in Weirton, placed the high bid of $225,000 on the Rosemont Manor to seal the deal for ownership of the property.

The mortgage on the property has been held by JP Morgan Chase Bank.

Potential bidders and spectators waited at the steps of the Hancock County Courthouse to await the beginning of the auction of the property. At the beginning of the auction, it was announced that Chase Bank had placed a beginning bid of $181,326.07.

Jim Rosso, president of Williams Country Club, was the first to up the bid to $185,000. Another potential bidder for the property, Dave Schaffer, upped the bid to $190,000. Rosso answered back with an additional $5,000.

"Two hundred and ten thousand dollars," stated Schaffer.

Rosso again increased the bid to $225,000. Schaffer stepped aside to discuss the issue privately with Rosso before taking himself out of the bidding.

"I'm out," announced Schaffer.

Several country club members cheered and congratulated Rosso on the bid. Rosso stated that the first step after paperwork will be to assess the property. He said no one from the club has been inside the building in more than five years and they knew of potential damage then.

"There's no telling what could be wrong inside," he said.

Rosso added that the country club would be getting a building inspector to go in and assess the damage to see what the potential costs to repair and restore the building would be. He said that there are no future plans in the making at this time.

According to previous comments from the bank's representatives, the owner of Rosemont Manor, Rose Susko, is delinquent on her mortgage.

While Susko operated Rosemont Manor as a bed and breakfast, the business became the focus of legal action with the City of Weirton after the discovery of advertising the property as a site for alternative lifestyle events. The city claimed the use went beyond the original zoning permit, and revoked the business permit for the establishment.

In April 2008, a judge ruled Susko could operate the business under the terms originally granted, allowing for use as a bed and breakfast, wedding and reception facility and for photography and historic tours.

On April 1, legal documents announced the property would be sold.

This was the second attempt at such a sale for Rosemont Manor. A previous sale, held June 6, ended without a bid placed on the property.

(Dickson can be contacted at adickson@weirtondailytimes.com)