Community Bank building donated to city
By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
The former Community Bank building in the 500 block of Donner Avenue now belongs to Monessen after the bank donated it to the city.
There is no set plan for the building, but council discussed a possibility of moving the city offices there. It would be a short move, just across the paved courtyard between the current city hall and the Community Bank building.
City council voted 3-2 to accept the donation at a special meeting last week, with the dissenters voicing concerns about the condition of the building and the lack of a true plan for it.
Mayor Matt Shorraw admitted there are no solid plans for the building now, but said it would be an asset for Monessen whether it is sold or used by the city.
Councilman Tony Orzechowski asked why the bank isn’t selling the building.
Shorraw said the property is valued at around $240,000, but Community Bank would likely only be able to sell it for about $60,000 and the taxes on it are about that much.
“They can’t sell it because of the shape downtown is in,” Shorraw said.
Solicitor Tim Witt said the agreement requires any delinquent or current taxes to be paid first.
Shorraw asked council members if they had any ideas for what to do with the building.
Orzechowski said if the city were to rent it out, the city would owe school taxes on it and would have to do some repairs to the building.
Shorraw said that during a tour of the building, he and Councilman Don Gregor noticed some plumbing and lighting repairs that would likely need to be done. Shorraw said there are grant programs that fund such work up to $50,000, but wasn’t sure if it would require a matching payment on behalf of the city.
But Shorraw also said none of the work he pointed out would actually be required and he described much of it as cosmetic.
Shorraw said the plumbing work isn’t necessary, but there’s a kitchen area in the basement that could be reconnected if the city wanted to invest in it.
“The roof is good, the structure is good, though I’m no structural engineer,” Shorraw said.
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