Wall collapse closes portion of street in Jeannette

Jeannette officials are looking into options after part of a wall along Chestnut Street collapsed last week following heavy rains.

The collapse prompted the closure of part of the 400 block. A curb was constructed on the street to divert water away from the wall and properties below it at a cost of $10,000, said city Manager Ethan Keedy.

“That wall’s been deteriorating for many years now,” he said.

The city was trying to determine who owns it. The wall supports Chestnut Street with homes below it and on the opposite side of the road, though most are vacant. It was built by the Works Progress Administration, a program created through the New Deal to put people to work in the 1930s and ’40s.

The collapse happened May 30. The city borrowed barricades from the county but spent $5,000 to purchase its own to block off the section of street, Keedy said.

Wall debris tumbled onto property owned by Bruce and Marlene Busato. A home there is slated for demolition. They live behind the property across an alley and use the Chestnut Street lot for extra yard and garage space. Bruce Busato shared safety concerns about the wall during May’s city council meeting.

“It’s getting worse. I’m getting afraid to cut the grass up there,” he said.

No one was hurt in the collapse.

Keedy said the addition of the curb should reduce further erosion of the wall while the city looks into potential costs and what can be done to remediate the issue.

The home on the property owned by the Busatos will be demolished through federal American Rescue Plan funding. Westmoreland County officials set aside $10.4 million for blight remediation in seven communities, including Jeannette.

The Busatos bought the property from the Westmoreland County Land Bank in 2022, according to deed records. Brian Lawrence, Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank executive director, said three others in that block also are on the land bank’s radar for demolition.

The Hopewell Baptist Church is accessible from the Charles Street side of Chestnut Street. The other side of the road is accessible from Pine Street.