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Connellsville officials seek assistance from county

By Patty Yauger pyauger@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Fayette County commissioners have agreed to meet with Connellsville officials this week to discuss options that will aid the city in removing a public safety hazard.

On Tuesday, Connellsville Councilman Aaron Zolbrod and Tom Currey, city code enforcement officer, told commissioners that the city’s most pressing issue is the continuing deterioration of the WCVI building that sits along East Crawford Avenue — a main throughway in the city.

“Five years ago, a K2 Engineering report declared that structure ‘a serious health hazard and an undue safety risk to the general public with potential life-threatening conditions,'” said Zolbrod.

The ownership of the vacant building has changed hands several times during tax sales. A California businessman withdrew his bid a few years ago after learning of the condition of the building.

The current owner lives in New Jersey and has failed to respond to notices from Currey’s office, said Zolbrod.

The notices have stated that the owner must bring the property into compliance with city codes or demolish the structure. The county was also cited by Currey during its brief ownership of the property, but did not comply with the citation’s mandates.

Zolbrod speculated that instead of working with the city to have the building demolished during its ownership, the county has pushed it to the tax sales to avoid taking responsibility.

“It feels to me that all that the county wanted to do was to ensure they would not be responsible for the demolition of property,” he said. “(No one) cared about how it affected Connellsville or the safety risk it posed on all county residents.

“I hate to point out the obvious, but Connellsville is part of the county, and as such, the county has a responsibility to protect those residents.”

Zolbrod, who serves as the director of public health and safety, said that the county should be held responsibility should the building crumble and strike a passerby on the sidewalk or a vehicle traveling through the city.

“I would think a plan should have been taken by the county to work jointly with Connellsville, instead of what seems to be in spite of Connellsville, to ensure that no tragedy would be a possibility,” he said.

Currey speculated that it would cost approximately $68,000 to demolish the building.

The city’s fire department recently had to respond to a broken window that resulted in glass being strewn onto the nearby sidewalks and roads.

“Bricks and other debris have fallen off onto the sidewalk on multiple occasions,” said Zolbrod. “It sits on one of the busiest streets in Connellsville with the very real possibility that it could literally fall into the street or onto a passing car or pedestrian.

“Every day that goes by, with that building standing, is a day something terrible could happen to somebody.

“It’s time for the county to step up and come up with a solution to help Connellsville rid our city of one of the biggest health and safety issues in the entire county.”

Commissioner Al Ambrosini said that tax sale properties are not owned by the county. The county responsibility is to utilize the tax claim bureau to sell the properties to those that would pay the appropriate real estate taxes to the municipality, school district and county.

Zolbrod refuted Ambrosini’s claim that the current owner has taken similar properties and rehabilitated them.

“We’ve never been able to prove that he has done anything to any building,” said Currey. “(His track record) is to buy properties and then sell them two or three weeks later.”

Commission Chairman Vince Zapotosky said that he and his administrative assistant has had multiple conversations with Michael Edwards, city redevelopment authority executive director, and others to “find a solution.”

“I’m willing to sit down and do what we can,” he said. “I just don’t know what the answer is (to the problem).”

The meeting was scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday in the commission conference room.

In other matters, the commissioners also conducted the following business:

n Hired attorneys Amanda Como and Benjamin F. Goodwin to represent children in court dependency proceedings at a fee of $1,000 per month.

n Ratified a contract with Rob Geary to work at the booking center at an hourly salary of $15.50 through Dec. 31.

n Hired Mark McShane and Danielle Thomas as Children and Youth Services’ caseworkers at an annual salary of $29,484.

n Ratified the hiring of Beth Harwood, Rhonda Grimes and Tina Carrigan as Emergency Management Agency dispatcher trainees at an hourly salary of $8.50.

n Approved an agreement with North Fayette County Municipal Authority for a right-of-way through the perimeter of the county fairgrounds’ parking lot. The right-of-way is for the extension of a public water line.

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