Monongahela Main Street seeks funding for study of vacant buildings
Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter
Terry Necciai, executive director of the Monongahela Main Street Program, seated, makes a pitch Monday for slots money to fund a study of vacant buildings and upper floors in the city.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
Stairs leading up to the second and third story of the McCrory’s Building. Although the Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce is currently pursuing plans to develop the first story of this building into a restaurant, bakery, and offices, the second and third stories were heavily damaged by a 2006 fire.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
The interior view of a house at 210 Ninth St. that is on a list to be demolished, but has been deemed historic.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
The exterior of a house at 210 Ninth St. that is on the demolition list in Monongahela, but has been deemed to be historic.
Monongahela Main Street Program’s executive director made a pitch Monday for slots money after unscrolling a 25-foot-long homemade banner containing photographs of buildings in the city.
“I wanted to show the whole town,” said Terry Necciai, after he made a plea for $107,000 before the Local Share Account board to fund a study of vacant upper floors in the downtown and other buildings in Monongahela.
Necciai said he was advised to bring a lot of people with him when he gave his presentation before the board that makes recommendations on how Washington County spends its share of the pot at The Meadows Casino in North Strabane Township.
“I kind of brought the whole town,” Necciai said.
The people who showed up to support him included members of his board of directors and a sister organization, Monongahela Area Revitalization Corp.
The study would cost $10,000. An $80,000 portion of his request would fund mini-grants to property owners who provide matching money to make repairs to their buildings.
“This could draw $2 million into downtown Monongahela,” Necciai said Tuesday.
He said he wants to know if the vacant buildings are historic, identify their owners, possibly get inside the structures and other details about the properties. He said the study could result in the city finding developers for buildings rather than use federal money every year to demolish blight.
“I want to find out how to turn these around,” Necciai said.
If approved for the money, the study would not be able to be launched until September, he said.