DCED, county officials tour blighted Northern Schuylkill properties
By Kaylee Lindenmuth
SHENANDOAH – Local officials joined Rick Vilello, deputy secretary for community affairs and development with the Department of Community and Economic Development, to tour blighted properties in Shenandoah, Ashland, Frackville, and Mahanoy City, while touting the proposed Restore Pennsylvania plan.
“Blighted properties damage the fabric of our neighborhoods and create economic burdens for our local governments,” Vilello said. “Restore Pennsylvania is the only plan that would inject the opportunities communities like Schuylkill County need to thrive. Our infrastructure is the foundation for strong and vibrant communities.”
The proposed $4.5 Billion plan would be funded through a severance tax, and state officials say it would increase financial resources at the local level, allowing for the acquisition and demolition of blighted properties.
County and local officials have made progress in recent years tackling blight in northern Schuylkill, demolishing at least 12 properties in Shenandoah alone through a $1.4 Million grant awarded in 2017.
“The Board of Schuylkill County Commissioners is looking forward to working with Governor Wolf and our legislators on initiatives like Restore Pennsylvania that will help us remediate blighted properties in the county,” said Schuylkill County Commissioner Chair George Halcovage. “We’ve recently worked with the Wolf Administration and Senator Argall on a recent $1.4 million grant that has helped us with demolition, code enforcement and the use of our land bank, which are effective tools in remediating blight and restoring our communities – but it’s clear that additional resources are needed to properly combat this issue.”
“Government officials, community, and business leaders in Schuylkill County are doing the work,” said Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary J. Hess. “We have an inventory of blighted properties and we know what it takes to demolish and redevelop them, but we don’t have the means to make it happen. I believe Restore Pennsylvania is the solution for blight and many other issues our communities are facing.”
Since the end latter months of 2017, the county funded the demolition of the following properties in Shenandoah: 300 West Penn Street; 9-11 North Main Street; 17 North Union Street; 23 North West Street; 319 West Cherry Street; 129 East Lloyd Street; 39 West Coal Street; 233-235 West Oak Street; 520 West Mount Vernon Street; 401-403 West Oak Street; 129-131 Girard Avenue; and combined properties at West Coal and North Race Streets.
On February 21, the county advertised for bids a project to demolish 15 North Main Street, the remaining half of the Air Shoes building damaged by fire in 2016, with a tentative bid award date of March 20.
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