Magistrate’s office condemned due to extensive damage from water leak

The water caused extensive damage inside the Charleroi court office on Fallowfield Avenue.

Charleroi borough officials condemned the office of Magisterial District Judge Eric Porter on Wednesday after a water leak caused extensive damage to the building.

Borough Manager Joe Manning said a police officer arrived at the building, located at 416 Fallowfield Ave., to cover a hearing and noticed a large amount of water at the far end of a rear hallway.

The Charleroi Fire Department and code enforcement officials responded to the scene. Upon arrival, Manning said water was shooting from the ceiling in the rear portion of the building, beyond the area where court room hearings are held.

Water service was shut off, and West Penn Power was called to disconnect electrical service. The building briefly operated on generators before code enforcement officials determined it was unsafe for occupancy and condemned the structure.

“It was a mess,” Manning said. “The drop ceiling was falling, water was everywhere, and it had moved into the basement.” Following the condemnation, Manning contacted Borough Council President Paul Pivovarnik to ask whether the Charleroi Borough Building could serve as a temporary location for court operations. Manning said Pivovarnik agreed to make the building available if it was deemed suitable.

Later Wednesday, Manning met with county officials to discuss a possible relocation, which would need to be arranged and approved by the county. After several conversations, county officials said they would consult IT staff to determine what would be required to accommodate Porter’s office.

Manning said both council chambers and the community room across the hall would likely be needed to conduct hearings and provide a waiting

area. County officials also said a constable would be retained and that private security might be required.

Manning asked how compensation for use of the borough building would be handled.

“I have to get with our insurance broker, explain to them what’s going on, and they’re going to give us some sort of temporary memorandum of understanding to pay the borough if it would work out,” Manning said.

Councilman Larry Celaschi said he received numerous calls regarding the temporary closure ahead of the agenda meeting.

“I got overwhelmed with phone calls today on the whole thing,” Celaschi said. “You are not going to be able to house them here. It’s an insurance issue.” Celaschi said magistrate offices are required to have a separate or secondary entrance. He added that if a claim were submitted through the borough’s insurance, underwriters would likely reject it.

“We went through this before when there was a problem with that building,” Celaschi said.

At that time, he said the county issued a request for proposals to relocate the office. The borough submitted a proposal, but Celaschi said it was rejected because the borough did not have the ability to install a separate entrance.

Before relocation became necessary, the property owner made required changes that allowed the court to continue operating in the building.

Celaschi said county officials plan to visit Thursday, but a location has likely already been selected.

“They have pretty much selected a place, permanent, so we are just waiting to hear the exact timing and go from there,” he said.

Manning was advised to double-check with the borough’s insurance carrier, noting it is not the same agency that provided coverage during the previous incident. He said he plans to follow up and provide updates as they become available.

Hearings scheduled for the remainder of the week have been canceled.

No timeline has been announced for repairs, and the building will remain closed until it is deemed safe for occupancy.