Connellsville planning to cite county over WCVI building

Connellsville is planning to cite Fayette County if the county doesn’t demolish the former WCVI building on East Crawford Avenue.
The city sent the county a letter in mid-June giving the county 30 days to demolish the building, which the city’s health board declared a public nuisance under the International Property Maintenance Code.
The city sent a similar letter to a New Jersey man who recently submitted a bid to buy the property from the county, but the city is proceeding against the county because city officials don’t believe the New Jersey buyer will register the deed because of the condition of the building.
“It would cost a lot more to rehab than it would to demolish it and start over again,” said Tom Currey, the city’s code and health officer.
The city’s letter gives the county until July 13 to demolish the building and a citation will be issued on July 14 if it isn’t torn down.
Neither the county or the New Jersey buyer have responded to the city, he said.
“Our intent is to cite the county for failure to demolish that property,” Currey said.
Al Ambrosini, chairman of the county commissioners could not be reached for comment.
Mayor Greg Lincoln said people from out of state have bought the building during tax sales, but have not registered the deed after learning about the condition of the building a number of times in the past.
The building is now a safety hazard and the city wants to county to demolish it, he said.
“We want to avoid hazards like having a piece of the building falling and hurting someone or the building collapsing,” Lincoln said.
“The building is a serious serious public safety risk right now,” said city Councilman Aaron Zolbrod, who is also a member of the health board.
“We understand the county has other properties to attend to, but we want them to come up with $50,000 to demolish it. I hope the county can find the money to help the city,” Lincoln said.
The county tax sale process takes about 100 days.
After the county accepts the bid, a 60-day window opens for the Connellsville Area School District or the city to object to the sale, Currey said. After that, the buyer has 30 days to register the deed.
Paperwork can add another 10 days to the process, he said.
However, the county owns the building and city wants the county to take responsibility for it.
“Our current course is to hold the county accountable for the condition of the property,” Currey said.