Council OKs demolition of vacant homes

McKeesport council has approved the first phase of a citywide demolition project that will tear down 97 vacant dilapidated houses.

The McKeesport Rising initiative is a $2.5 million line item in the 2018 budget set aside for capital improvements. Funds for the projects are coming from the sale of the city’s municipal sewage authority to Pennsylvania American Water, which closed earlier this year and brought in more than $40 million to McKeesport.

Council awarded a $711,500 contract to Jadell Minniefield Construction Services Inc. of Pittsburgh to tear down houses across the city. The demolitions will start soon, said Mayor Michael Cherepko. He added that now that council approved the contract, the administration will send Jadell Minniefield a letter to proceed.

“This is just Phase One,” Mr. Cherepko said. He said he hopes to have a contract to demolish 100 more houses by council’s July meeting and possibly another 100 homes under contract later this year.

“You’re going to have 300 homes in the City of McKeesport under contract to be demolished in 2018,” he said. The mayor added the demolitions themselves will stretch into 2019.

He said the first wave will concentrate on areas like Versailles Avenue, Evans Avenue, the upper Tenth Ward, Christie Park and Jenny Lind Street. On Jenny Lind there are over 50 properties in need of demolition.

“There’s not a ward in this city that will not be addressed,” Mr. Cherepko said.