Tearing down houses may get easier in Donora
By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
Donora is considering a new ordinance that may make it easier to bring down dangerous structures.
When abandoned buildings become so dilapidated they create a hazard for other buildings or borough residents, there is often a long, protracted legal process that must be followed.
Borough Administrator Terri Petroske told council members last week that she and Solicitor Steve Toprani are working to create an ordinance that would permit the borough to act on its own when it’s an emergency situation.
A little more than two years ago, the borough had to go to Washington County Court for emergency approval to demolish an unsafe building in the 500 block of McKean Avenue.
The owner was cited and the building had been condemned, but nothing was done until the borough declared it a public nuisance and realized it was posing an immediate threat to the buildings next to it.
The court agreed to declare it a public nuisance, paving the way for the borough’s public works department to bring the building down.
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