Leechburg demolition clearing blighted properties, raising money for more work
Leechburg Tackles Blighted Buildings
Two vacant and dilapidated structures on Siberian Ave. in Leechburg are undergoing demolition.
The walls are tumbling down in Leechburg.
Two vacant homes, at 137 and 125/127 Siberian Ave., owned by the borough and deemed blighted, are scheduled for a complete demolition and crews began tearing down 137 Siberian Ave. on Wednesday.
“Most of Leechburg is in pretty decent shape and we do have a few blights and, by coincidence, we have two homes almost right beside each other, which really makes things look bad,” said Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos.
Dobos spearheaded a campaign in 2018 dubbed “Beautify Leechburg: Polish The Jewel.”
He was instrumental in securing grant money from Armstrong County to finance this latest project.
Previous Beautify Leechburg events included an August multi-day community volunteer spruce-up day for several properties with severely overgrown vegetation.
“We want to keep Leechburg looking good,” Dobos said.
Baker Excavation and Demolition began work Wednesday. Company owner Brad Baker said the project is expected to take about two weeks.
Following EPA regulations, all debris will be transported to a land fill in Butler County, Baker said.
“I am overwhelmed with happiness,” said longtime Siberian Avenue resident Mary Nelson, 70, as she watched walls being ripped apart carefully just feet away from her home next door.
“This is a wonderful Christmas present for me. I really want to thank the mayor for making this happen,” Nelson said.
Mayor Dobos said the total cost for razing both properties is $33,000.
“This is at no cost to Leechburg taxpayers,” Dobos said. “I have worked for three years on this, beginning when I was on borough council and a volunteer on the Armstrong County Blight Committee.”
A $100,000 Armstrong County grant earmarked for helping communities target blighted properties is financing the entire job Dobos said.
“It was a big priority to get this done,” Dobos said. “We had neighbors and people complaining.”
A bed and breakfast on the national Registry of Historic Places, The Old Parsonage, is located a few houses down from the blighted structures, and owner John Truett said he is “totally thrilled” to see the homes come down.
“For almost a decade ,my guests have had to look at this,” said Truett, gesturing to the rundown properties.
After both properties are cleared, two separate lots will be sold by the borough at action to the highest bidder. Dobos said money from the sales will be put to use clearing other blighted properties in Leechburg.
A date for the auction has not been set.
Joyce Hanz is a freelance writer.
