New era begins for Groveton Village

Amanda Leogue came home from school Tuesday to find a large white moving truck backed up to her front door.

It's the fourth time her family's moved this year. But if she's lucky, it will be the last time for a long while.

Amanda, 15, and her family were the first to move into new town houses at the Groveton Village public housing complex in Robinson. More moves were scheduled for today, Friday and next week as the first of the 69 new units are readied for tenants, said Robert Pacacha, construction manager for the Allegheny County Housing Authority.

The new town houses are replacing buildings constructed in 1942 as temporary housing for mill workers during World War II. Work on the $11 million project began in February, with tenants being relocated on and off site while existing buildings were demolished and replacement structures built.

Amanda's father, Don Montgomery, said the reason he was the first to move in was simple - everyone else at Groveton has become so tired of moving they refused.

"I want to move. I want to get it over with," said Montgomery, who has lived at Groveton for three years. "I hope this is the last move for the rest of my life."

Montgomery and his three children were among residents who remained at Groveton. Of the seven buildings still standing off Route 51, five will be torn down after the current relocation effort is complete, Pacacha said. The last two buildings will not be torn down until December, when residents in those buildings with special needs are moved.

Pacacha said 52 of the 69 units are under roof and 17 will be ready for occupancy over the next two weeks. He said all of the remaining new units will be under construction by the end of the year and the entire project will be finished by June 2003.

"It's been good building weather this year," he said. "It's been a good building season for them."

All but four town houses are two stories, with four one-story buildings set aside for the disabled. Only two of the 24 buildings will have basements.

Building exteriors include three-foot brick ledges, vinyl siding and porches and patios. Each unit has at least two parking spaces.

As Montgomery and his children moved, crews continued work on the grounds and buildings around them. Landscaping crews were planting and watering trees and shrubs, while other crews built asphalt curbs.

Finishing touches were being put on other buildings, while still other buildings were being insulated or framed. The foundation for one building was just being put in place.

Compared to the apartments they replace, the new town houses feature large kitchens complete with new appliances including dishwashers, central air conditioning, first floor bathrooms and second floor laundry closets.

"I am digging this," said Tina Pargeon, Montgomery's neighbor, as she looked around his three-bedroom townhouse, her first look inside the new units. Pargeon and her fiance and their two children are scheduled to move into a similar unit next week.

"I'm excited," she said. "I'm ready to move now. I can't wait until next Wednesday."

Outside, the complex has all new storm and sanitary sewers and water and gas lines. All electric, telephone and cable television lines have been placed underground. Some utilities had to be relocated, Pacacha said.

A trailer will serve as the temporary home for the Groveton Village Resident Council and its food bank until a new community center is built. Pacacha said the housing authority is currently negotiating to buy property next to the complex where the center would be located. The building is being designed now and the center is planned to also include a computer learning center, meeting rooms, site manager office and maintenance office.

Plans remain for the renaming of the community, but a new name has not yet been selected, Pacacha said.