Aug 10, 2016 3 min read

CHARLEROI – Charleroi Council voted Wednesday night to change the borough’s historic preservation plan.

To take another step toward demolishing and improving historic buildings, council approved two amendments: to strike Charleroi Area Historical Society from the plan and to not require a set percentage of the money for redevelopment.

The council also unanimously approved the advertisement for interested individuals for a newly formed group, Charleroi Borough Historical Foundation.

According to Charleroi Councilman Larry Celaschi, the decision to remove the historical society has nothing to do with a pending lawsuit to protect the Coyle Theater which they believe can still be preserved. Members of the council believe both buildings, especially the Atlas structure on Second Street and McKean Avenue, are well beyond a state of repair.

“We have great historical buildings in our town,” said Celaschi. “There are some buildings that aren’t great, and we can’t have them be a hindrance to the town and be holding us back. I don’t see a line of people wanting to come and buy a building and, obviously, there is a reason.”

The Atlas building is owned by Charleroi Area School District, and its demolition is out of council’s hands until ownership changes to Mon Valley Alliance, a nonprofit economic development group.

While the demolition date is unknown, the funds for the demolition were raised after the approval of a $100,000 advance from the redevelopment authority in the form of a federal Community Development Block Grant. The grant increased the demolition budget in Charleroi to $236,639.

The cost of the demolition could possibly be higher than expected because of the degree of hazardous conditions, according to Celaschi.

“I would make a recommendation to both the school district and the Mon Valley Alliance that they need to go on a tour and see for themselves,” he said. “Then, they can make their own judgment. We had two buyers seriously interested in the Atlas building, and they turned around and ran.”

Charleroi Borough Historic Foundation will tentatively be composed of three individuals. Council is accepting applications to fill the positions. The foundation would be formed with the intent to be the go-to agency when demolition or development projects are proposed in the downtown area, which has been designated as a National Historic District after being added to the National Register in 2007.

No society members were in attendance.

“They are welcomed to attend the meetings, and they have in the past,” said Celaschi. “We are just going about our business as usual. Developing this foundation has been a part of the plans for a while.”

The council will make amendments to send it to the solicitor for a final review before sending it to state officials.