Dec 10, 2013 By Erin Hayes for The 4 min read

BROWNSVILLE — The noticeable, advancing decay of certain abandoned buildings in the downtown that has become increasingly visible in the last few months has members of the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce pushing for a solution.

Designated as a historic district, 13 properties have been designated for preservation by the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, which took possession of the properties by right of eminent domain a few years ago from Ernest Liggett, who owns many other properties in the area.

“In the last six of seven months alone, there has been so much structural decay,” said borough council President Jack Lawver at a chamber meeting Tuesday. Recent inspections have revealed collapsed stairwells, caved-in roofs and evidence of people repeatedly breaking into the properties, he added.

“We can’t keep people out of there. We’re supposed to document every time (we suspect) there’s someone been in there, but it happens on a daily basis,” Lawver said, noting that thieves may have been stripping copper from an abandoned bank building, but it was doubtful they would be able to make off with vaults that are still on the property.

“You can’t see them, but there’s people in the buildings,” he said, adding that perhaps the only upside to the reoccurring break-ins is that graffiti appears on the inside of those properties rather than the outside.

Chamber President Frank Ricco added that the ballroom at one abandoned hotel used to be the showcase of the community.

“It was a white tablecloth restaurant; now the windows are being busted out,” he said.

Although he holds some personal sentimentality for the Union Station Building, Ricco said that the only abandoned building worth saving in his opinion is the former C.G. Murphy building located at 5 Market St.

Ricco further suggested developing commercial space on the ground level and apartments above.

“We’ve got to strive to get something into that,” he said.

By current estimations, it would cost $2.8 million to renovate the Murphy building, said Lawver, adding that he was in the building last week, and, while there is a leak and the stairs need some attention, both could be easily fixed. He said he was “surprised” to find the rest of the building structurally “solid.”

But attracting people to come into an environment where there exists very little is especially challenging, he added.

Chamber Vice President Carl DellaPenna suggested advertising the properties in question for sale, and, if no potential buyers come forward within a designated time frame with a viable plan restore the buildings, they should be razed.

“We need to move forward,” DellaPenna said. “I could be dead and in my grave before they’re torn down.”

Other chamber members pointed out that, because the area where the buildings stand has been designated as a historic district, doing anything with the buildings can be complicated. Tax credits are available to investors who are willing and able to comply with the many regulations that go along with qualifying for those credits, but a private investor can come in and not have to adhere to those guidelines, said chamber member Connie Gore.

She added that it is crucial for any investor to have a solid redevelopment plan so that past problems of investors making an initial purchase and then just letting the property sit there can be avoided.

Lawver agreed that the regulations and restrictions imposed by the history district distinction can be a deterrent for most investors.

“We have a plan that should meet all specifications,” said Mayor Lester Ward, “but when we put it on the table, someone else always wants to do another study.”

Lawyer said the borough has a “vault full” of studies already and stressed that it’s time to move forward.

“It’s complicated, but we’re not backing down from anything. We want to find a solution, Lawver said.

In other business, the chamber:

n Announced it will elect new officers at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the chamber office, 325 Market St.

n Agreed to start collecting jugs to be used during the community’s annual Light-Up Night throughout the year. Jugs may be dropped off at the Brownsville Bus Lines Garage, 525 National Pike.