North Main could reopen next week
A section of a heavily traveled Washington street could reopen early next week.
North Main Street has been closed to through-traffic from Beau to Chestnut streets since the collapse of the building at 15 N. Main. Officials were concerned about the instability of the portion of the building that remains. But Mayor Scott Putnam said Thursday during a Washington City Council meeting that workers with contractor Allegheny Crane Rental believe the first phase of demolition will be complete early next week.
The apartment building, which housed a first-floor barbershop, partially collapsed July 12, trapping a resident for more than nine hours.
Though the city secured an emergency demolition order that day, razing the former Montgomery Building has been a slow process because of the close proximity to neighboring structures, 3 N. Main St., site of the former Brothers Pizza, and 19 N. Main St., the former Big Room nightclub.
Putnam said the city’s solicitor continues to talk with the building owners’ insurance company in an attempt to fund the demolition. No payments have been made to Allegheny Crane Rental yet, said Putnam. He said the cost of the first phase of demolition could top $500,000.
Remaining work will be put out for bid.
The collapse at 15 N. Main heightened the focus on code-enforcement issues at rental properties in the city. Officials have utilized a provision of the International Property Maintenance Code, making tenants from several other properties leave housing that was deemed uninhabitable.
In order to tackle the 20-some residential properties on the city’s demolition list, council voted to earmark $50,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding for a match in their 2018 local share account application.
Building owners Mark and Melissa Russo face a list of building code citations on the structure at 15 N. Main. Continued on Aug. 24 so attorneys for both sides could continue negotiations, the hearing on those citations has been rescheduled to Oct. 5 before District Judge Robert Redlinger.