Monessen accepts grant to stabilize Health Mart building

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

Monessen City Council is once again at odds over the former Health Mart building on Donner Avenue.

Last summer, Mayor Matt Shorraw wrote a grant seeking funds to stabilize the building. He applied for a Blight Remediation Program Grant for more than $300,000.

A few weeks ago, the city was awarded $199,480 for Phase I of the “mid-downtown stabilization project.”

Shorraw applied for the grant last July before informing anyone on council and told them about it after the application had already been sent, which caused some issues. 

At the time, Solicitor Tim Witt said Shorraw could not obligate the city financially without council’s approval. 

Such grants come with a required match from the municipality in the amount of 10%, which means Monessen needs $30,000 to accept the grant. 

In August 2020, Shorraw said the city would not accept the grant unless the program would agree to waive the matching fee.

Tuesday night, Shorraw said the city has the funds to pay for the matching fees.

Shorraw said it will cost $800,000 to demolish the building or $30,000 to stabilize it enough to sell it to someone else who will have to bring it up to code.

The grant will pay to “stabilize the roof, get trees out of the windows, board up the windows,” Shorraw said, adding that there have been interested buyers in the past.

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