First Commonwealth donates bank to McKeesport redevelopment authority

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

The former First Commonwealth Bank building on Fifth Avenue in McKeesport has been donated to the city’s redevelopment authority.

First Commonwealth Vice President of Communications and Media Relations Jonathan Longwill said the bank wanted to donate the building at 225 Fifth Ave. to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of McKeesport to support downtown revitalization efforts. 

The Fifth Avenue branch closed as part of a plan that consolidated 29 offices in Pennsylvania and Ohio, which Longwill announced in August.

First Commonwealth, which participates in the city’s six-year Neighborhood Partnership Program through the state Department of Community and Economic Development and it’s Neighborhood Assistance Program, presented city officials with a $100,000 check for its annual contribution to the NPP. 

The officials did the presentation in front of the former bank building on Fifth Avenue. 

In addition to housing revitalization and other projects announced in December 2019, McKeesport NPP funds are used to revitalize the main street corridor of McKeesport’s downtown business district.

Capital funding for the nearly $3 million NPP project comes by way of tax credits and investments from First Commonwealth as well as Duquesne Light, Noble Environmental and UPMC. 

Mayor Michael Cherepko, at last week’s council meeting, talked about First Commonwealth’s move to donate the former bank building to the city redevelopment authority. 

“We are appreciative of First Commonwealth,” Cherepko said. “Although they did decide to close their branch here, they want to continue their partnership with the city. They do so by a $100,000-a-year commitment in the NPP and they did it by donating a building.”

A future use for the building hasn’t been determined yet.

“Do we know exactly what’s going to take place in that building? No. But what I will tell you is, one of the biggest obstacles that we have in the City of McKeesport is buildings and property that’s owned by private parties,” Cherepko said. “Some parties are wonderful to work with, and others are very difficult and they want to hold on to their buildings, property, hoping to strike it rich some day when someone comes in and gives them top dollar for everything.”

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