Greensburg YMCA begins long-awaited porch renovation job

The YMCA of Greensburg has begun its long-planned porch renovation with the demolition of its iconic brick-and-concrete pillars.

The proposal calls for restoring the porch to its original 1913 look soon, but not enough money has been raised to finish the project. For now, the aging brick pillars and metal railings will be destroyed and replaced with something temporary, according to Greensburg YMCA Chief Executive Officer George O'Brien.

The pillars had started to sag and lean out over the sidewalk, and O'Brien said safety concerns accelerated the decision to demolish the railings.

“Over the last few years, it's worked its way closer and closer to the street, and we thought better safe than sorry to remove it now before something happens,” he said.

Preliminary work on the demolition began last week. It was scheduled to continue Monday, but bad weather delayed it until Thursday, said contractor Bob Raimondo.

The building's front entrance will remain open during the demolition.

The YMCA hopes to complete its total renovation of the porch later this year. It has raised about $80,000 of the project's $150,000 budget, and has reached out to local organizations to try and make up the difference.

“We've been raising money for this project for two and a half years. Obviously we know we need to have some skin in the game,” said YMCA trustee Mike Stewart.

The YMCA will hold another fundraiser in June.

City council has already approved the project, which would return the porch to the classical look it sported a century ago.

“I personally think this is one of the most important intersections, and one of the most visible intersections in the county seat,” Stewart said of the downtown location at East Pittsburgh Street and South Maple Avenue.

The new porch will have better drainage and a heated sidewalk. Once work begins in earnest, it will be built in about 75 days, according to O'Brien.

Jacob Tierney is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.