City readying plans for Daily News building

The former McKeesport Daily News building is expected to be ready for tenants bythe second half of next year.

“We will get in there and clean up and plan exactly what we want to do,” McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said Dec. 6.

Trib Total Media donated the building at Walnut Street and Lysle Boulevard to McKeesport last month. It closed the Daily News at the end of 2015 after it had operated at the site since 1942.

In November, the city said itwould work with Point Park University to create a multimedia incubator in the building.

The Mon Valley Independent newspaper, based out of Monessen, is also slated to becomea tenant in the building.

The city is waiting on funds it hopes to secure with the help of state Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, to renovate the building, Mr. Cherepko said.

By the second half of the year, the building could be ready for tenants, with the work fully complete by the end of next year.

Mr. Cherepko said the city is also looking at renovating theadjacent parking garage.

Also at its Dec. 6 meeting, council voted to extend the city’s contract with Big’s Sanitation of Belle Vernon for one year.

Mr. Cherepko said the city is charged by the ton and pays about $1.3 million per year for garbagehauling.

He said the city is “really going to explore going into the garbage collecting business on our own.”

By 2019, it could be a viable option for the city to do garbage collection in-house, he said.

Council will hold its reorganization meeting at 6:15 p.m. Jan. 3, followed by its work session and its regular meeting.

In2018, all council meetings will be held on the first Wednesdayof the month, except in August when no meeting is held.