New Kensington seeks funding to tear down Fourth Avenue building

New Kensington will seek money from Westmoreland County to tear down a building across from the Pioneer Apartments on Fourth Avenue.

Council recently approved having City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti apply for funding from the Westmoreland County Demo Fund to demolish the building at 1026 Fourth Ave.

The city owns the building, one of five empty structures across from the apartment building owned by Wesley Family Services and built on a former city parking lot.

The building bears a red “X,” which warns emergency personnel and others that the building is structurally dangerous.

The demo fund gets its money from fees collected at the county’s recorder of deeds office, said Brian Lawrence, executive director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority. About $200,000 is collected each year, which goes toward paying for demolitions across the county.

Each municipality can ask for up to $25,000 in one application, with a higher amount possible for special circumstances, and can get up to $75,000 in total each year, Lawrence said.

New Kensington used money from the fund to tear down a former gas station at Ninth Street and Third Avenue, city Engineer Tony Males said.

County commissioners are expected to approve applications to the demo fund in January, said Janet Thomas, deputy director of the Westmoreland County Department of Planning and Development.

“The county receives many applications to review to make sure the applications are complete and comply with the program guidelines,” Thomas said. “Once applications are approved by commissioners, grant agreements will need to be executed. After agreements are executed, the demolition process will start with the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority.”

If New Kensington’s application is successful, the building could be torn down within six months of commissioners’ approval, Thomas said.