Resident asks borough to demolish neighboring house, citing disrepair

100 properties already torn down

Wilkinsburg has torn down nearly 100 properties in the past year, according to the borough manager, but one resident wants at least one more demolished.

William Burgess, who lives on Franklin Avenue, asked council at its May 10 meeting why the house next to his was removed from the list of properties to be demolished by the borough.

He said that 1444 Franklin Ave. is in disrepair and the grass is not being cut.

He said the gutters and downspouts have come off the house, so water is getting onto his property and causing mold to grow in his home.

“I’ve been trying to get this issue resolved for five or six years,” Mr. Burgess told council.

Councilman Michael Lefebvre said that code enforcement personnel will look into the property.

According to the Allegheny County property assessment site, 1444 Franklin is owned by Bryce Peters Financial Corp. of Reno, Nev., and has unpaid county taxes for 2014 to 2017.

Borough manager Donn Henderson said after the meeting that the borough has torn down nearly 100 properties in the past year, but it is demolishing fewer houses because of a lack of funding.

“There are literally hundreds of properties that need to be torn down,” he said.

He said “safety is first and foremost” when the borough determines which properties take precedence in being demolished.

“We are aware of this property,” he said of 1444 Franklin.

Also at the meeting, council approved an application for a Greenways Trails and Recreation Program grant of $250,000 for improvements to Whitney Park.