The mansion was set on fire in an act of arson earlier this year. Governor Shapiro’s administration will not say how much will be covered by insurance for repairs.
The Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence located in Harrisburg is insured under two plans. The residence has been undergoing significant repairs after an arson attack earlier this year caused widespread damage.
Governor Shapiro’s administration has refused to say how much in repairs the insurance policies will cover.
So far, over $6 million in taxpayer dollars has been spent on repairs for the residence. Shapiro’s administration has declined to say what that money was spent on and who was paid to complete part of the repairs funded by taxpayer dollars.
The state Department of General Services is overseeing the repairs. L. Paul Vezzetti, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email that “significant progress has been made” in the restoration work.
Vezzetti explained that the residence is covered by two insurance plans but declined to say what those insurance plans have covered in terms of the repairs.
He was also unable to say how much of the repairs are expected to be covered by the time the work is complete.
The residence, and other state-owned property, is covered by the State Insurance Fund. State agencies pay into the fund annually based on their covered assets, and it provides coverage for losses due to fire, flood, vandalism, and other “perils”.
The State Insurance Fund covers losses up to $1 million with no deductibles, unless in the instance of theft.
For losses exceeding $1 million, a policy under a private insurer kicks in. Vezzetti said the insurer FM Global provides coverage of up to $1 billion per incident with a $1 million deductible, which is payable from the State Insurance Fund.
While the state pays for repairs up front, it can then seek reimbursement through the applicable insurance policy.
According to the Department of General Services, “improvements or betterments are not covered”. Claims paid from either policy are made “under the premise of repair, replace or restore to like-condition at the time of the loss.”
The Shapiro administration has not elaborated on the repairs and whether they include security upgrades.
Following the arson attack, private donors contributed to a fund managed by Team PA, a Harrisburg-area nonprofit. It is unknown who the donors are and whether the money in the fund has been used towards repairs to the governor’s residence.
