Feb 26, 2016 3 min read

Counting on a grant of taxpayers’ money from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington County Housing Authority is finishing up demolition of a two-story building at the Frederick Terrace housing complex in East Bethlehem Township.

The authority awarded the $33,000 contract to Ritenour and Sons Construction Co. of South Connellsville, Fayette County, which will likely finish the job by the end of March. It budgeted $40,000 from the HUD grant for the tear-down, part of the $1,084,500 total due the authority.

“There was a very bad mold problem over there that occurred because the building was unoccupied,” said Stephen Hall, housing authority executive director. “Severe problems occurred in 2007 or thereabouts, back when everybody and his brother was buying a house. A lot of people were buying property that probably shouldn’t have. It would have cost so much to rehab it that it was more cost-effective just to tear it down.”

The building – one of 10 at the complex – housed six units.

In the remaining 52 units at Frederick Terrace, occupancy is at 92 to 95 percent. The property on which building A-3 stood at 747 Crawford Road will be green space.

Money from Washington County Housing Authority’s 2016 capital fund, which is to be used for capital improvements, planning and administrative expenses, also will be directed to Canonsburg, California, North Charleroi and Washington.

In Canonsburg, the authority will be upgrading the community room and public rest rooms at Valley View Terrace, which is estimated to cost $75,000; and performing siding, window and door replacement at Canonsburg scattered-site housing at a cost of $175,000.

In California, the authority plans to replace roofs of two buildings at a cost of about $51,000.

In Washington, siding on one building at Jollick Manor will be replaced at an estimated cost of $60,000

At Crumrine Tower, Washington, and the Nathan Goff residence, North Charleroi, trash compactors will be replaced at an estimated cost of $50,000. Also to be replaced at the Nathan Goff residence are the intercom system, electrical panel and boiler at an estimated collective cost of $85,000.

Security cameras will be installed at various locations for $25,000.

Greene County Housing Authority received $379,285 from HUD that will help it continue renovations to the Woodside Manor senior apartment complex in Carmichaels.

The complex has 50 one-bedroom units, and Executive Director Lois Mocniak said the grant will help the authority to remodel half of the apartment kitchens with new cabinets, floors and lights. The other 25 apartments were remodeled last year with a similar grant from HUD.

“We appreciate the money, but sometimes it’s not enough to do the whole project immediately,” Mocniak said. “Sometimes it takes a few years.”

The authority will solicit bids for the renovations next month, Mocniak said.

The apartment complex, geared toward seniors and people with disabilities, was built in 1984 and had few renovations done over the past three decades. The authority also used last year’s money to update the lobby and a community room.