Mckean County's Blight Demolition Program

Mckean County launched the Act 152 Blight Demolition Program in 2021. This program provides grants to demolish blighted structures and is funded through a fee collected by the Recorder of Deeds Office when deeds and mortgages are recorded. During the first year of the program, 5 buildings were demolished including 1 in the City of Bradford, 2 in Kane Borough, 1 in Port Allegany Borough, and 1 in Wetmore Township. The total cost of these projects was $67,675.93 including $42,064.95 in Act 152 grant funding and $25,610.98 in local match provided by the property owner or local municipality.

The program continued to grow in 2022 and has provided much-needed funding to aid in the removal of blighted properties throughout Mckean County. There were a total of 9 buildings demolished this past year, including 4 projects in the City of Bradford, 4 projects in the City of Bradford, 4 projects in Kane Borough, and 1 project in Lewis Run Borough. The total cost of these projects was $94,892.50 including $70,965.25 in Act 152 grant funding and $23,927.25 in local match provided by the property owner or local municipality.

The 1st Round of 2023 Act 152 Blight Grant applications are currently being accepted for this grant and are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, March 24, 2023 These grants will be reviewed in early April 2023 with a goal of awarding grants in mid to late April 2023.

Grant guidelines and applications for both the municipal and private landowner programs are available at www.mckeancountypa.org or by contacting Planning Director Rick Fry at 814-887-2754 or email him at rfry@mckeancountypa.org. You may also contact Economic Development Liaison Ann Robinson at 814887-3107 or email her at arrobinson@mckeancountypa.org.