Community leaders unite to fight blight in Leechburg
Leechburg Mayor Tony Roppolo is aiming to improve the borough he serves by knocking down more blighted, abandoned buildings.
“I’m concerned about the safety of the overall neighborhoods and potential downside and contamination spreading from there to adjacent properties,” Roppolo said. “It’s just an overall positive-positive across the board getting rid of them.”
Roppolo recently partnered with Armstrong County officials to tackle two blighted buildings.
The properties at 275 Second St. and 255 Pershing Ave. are slated for demolition this year, according to Darin Alviano, executive director of the Armstrong County Department of Planning and Development.
For Roppolo, continuing the progress made by late Mayor Wayne Dobos in ridding the borough of blighted properties is personal.
“It’s a privilege to take over for him. I’m thrilled to do it,” Roppolo said.
Dobos was responsible for spearheading the demolition of several blighted properties before his death on March 2, 2022.
“They want a way to resolve this issue,” said Brigid Beatty, program manager of the county planning department. “Leechburg is one of the great examples of a community that’s invested in trying to address this problem. They’ve been really good at reaching out and communicating their needs.”
On Thursday, Roppolo took Beatty and Darin Alviano, the department’s executive director, on a tour of both properties.
“We’re exploring funding opportunities because we’re going to demolish these buildings,” Alviano said.
The properties will be demolished regardless of whether the borough joins Armstrong County’s land bank.
A land bank is a government body that focuses on acquiring tax-delinquent, abandoned, vacant and foreclosed properties for the purpose of returning them to constructive use. Both properties are in the Armstrong County Repository.
Roppolo proposed that the borough join the county land bank. Leechburg Area School Board voted on March 22 to approve joining the land bank. The earliest that Leechburg Council would likely vote on joining would be at its April 18 meeting.
Alviano and Beatty documented the properties with photographs.
“For us, this is low-hanging fruit,” Alviano said. “When they’re in the repository, it just makes sense.”
Once the properties are torn down, the lots are cleared and put up for sale.
The estimated cost of tearing down both properties is about $40,000, Alviano said. The project will be paid for with money from state Act 152, a fund earmarked for demolitions.
The county commissioners will need to approve the money.
Demolition of both properties is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Alviano noted Leechburg officials have been steadfast in their commitment to ridding the borough of blighted buildings.
“Nobody wants to live beside a blighted house,” Alviano said. “If you take it down, it lifts up all the houses around it and hopefully increases their property value.”
The building at 275 Second St. is sandwiched between two unoccupied homes, one long empty and the other currently for sale.
During Thursday’s visit to the property, Beatty pointed out a tree growing through the wooden front porch of the Second Street property.
The property at 255 Pershing Ave. has been declared unsafe for occupancy.
“The feedback is the neighbors in the vicinity of these places are thrilled we’re taking action,” Roppolo said.
Roppolo praised Beatty and Alviano for contacting him and visiting Leechburg.
“I’m thrilled they’re here. The cooperation they have given me is off the scale,” Roppolo said.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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