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Company fights to keep Trafford from razing one of its oldest commercial buildings

Joe Napsha
TraffordMellonBank
Joe Napsha | Tribune-Review
The condemned former Mellon Bank building on Cavitt Avenue in downtown Trafford.
Traffordcondemnedbuilding
Joe Napsha
Condemnation notice on former Mellon Bank building in downtown Trafford.

The owner of the dilapidated former Mellon Bank building in Trafford's downtown business district is battling the borough in court over efforts to demolish the long vacant, three-story structure.

Lanalex Cloyd Inc. of Murrysville has until Friday to post a $44,000 bond to keep a preliminary injunction in place to prevent the borough from taking steps to demolish the building at 501 Cavitt Ave.

This month, Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail granted the property owner's request for additional time to post the bond while Lanalex Cloyd attorney James W. Creenan of Murrysville attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement with the borough over a condemnation notice.

Smail originally ordered Lanalex Cloyd to post the bond by April 9 to keep the preliminary injunction intact and has set a May 21 hearing on the owner's attempt to have the condemnation notice overturned. The property remains fenced off, and first-floor windows are boarded. Windows in the second and third stories are broken.

Ashley Stack, borough manager, declined to comment on the issue because it is in court.

Frank Cloyd Yeager, chief executive of Lanalex Cloyd, could not be reached for comment. He also owns Brighter Finish Construction, a Murrysville home remodeler.

Prior to meeting with borough representatives last week, Creenan said he expected a resolution to pave the way for the building to be renovated. The borough and Lanalex Cloyd need more time to agree to specific terms, draft an agreement and then finalize it, according to court documents.

“Frank (Yeager) wants to redevelop the building, ... but he encountered municipal red tape,” Creenan said.

Neither Creenan nor Craig Alexander, Trafford solicitor, could be reached for comment following the meeting.

The 14,660-square-foot building was deemed unsafe and unfit for human habitation and presents a danger to life and property because of “outward signs of structural failure,” Code Enforcement Agency of Jefferson Hills stated in the condemnation notice it issued for Trafford.

The inspection company advised the borough to seek court approval to demolish the building.

Craig McVicker, president of Code Enforcement Agency, declined to comment on the building inspection because it is in litigation.

If a fire would break out in the building, Trafford fire Chief Brian Lindbloom said he will advise his department and other units to remain a safe distance away from the building for fear of it collapsing.

Despite the appearance of broken windows opening the building to the snow and rain, Creenan said an inspector determined the building — which opened in 1904 and is one of Trafford's oldest commercial buildings — remains structurally sound.

Lanalex Cloyd bought the building in September 2013 from Bayview Loan Servicing of Coral Gables, Fla., for $15,000, according to Westmoreland County real estate records. Bayview bought the building in a sheriff's sale in December 2012 for $1,220, according to county records.

Lanalex Cloyd claimed in its request for an injunction in March that Trafford rejected the company's redevelopment plan submitted in December 2017. That plan was designed to correct the code violations, the company said.

Lanalex Cloyd said in its court filings that borough officials refused to communicate with the company once the building was condemned and Trafford is improperly holding the company's $20,000 bond for the property.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.