Donora considers options in blight battle

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

Donora Council heard about three options this week to address blight following the borough’s previous work with the Department of Community and Economic Development’s financially distressed municipalities program.

Donora previously went through the state’s Pre-Act 47 program, then known as the Early Intervention Program. It has since been renamed the Strategic Management Planning Program.

Michael Foreman of the DCED worked with the borough through the EIP process when council worked with a consultant to prepare a five-year plan to improve Donora’s finances.

Foreman met with council this week via Zoom and said the borough’s five-year plan was meant to be a starting point for council to begin applying for grants to implement the strategies outlined in the plan. He alluded to the idea that council should have already implemented some portions of the plan and should be asking the state for grant money to get it done.

Foreman said he is willing to speak to his agency on behalf of the borough to make a case for securing grant funding.

Foreman said there are three options the borough can seek assistance with to help with blight. Through the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, one option offers help with blight and how to address it, and to provide a strategy, assistance and guidance.

Another option is to work with the Washington County Land Bank. The third option is to work on code enforcement best practices, which would be 100 hours of professional training hours, working with existing code enforcement staff on legal aspects of the job, enforcement and financial aspects and working on a blight committee through the PA Housing Alliance.

“This has, I think, been an effective tool for STMP communities and for Act 47 communities and it’s been strategically mapped out for Donora Borough,” Foreman said.

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