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PA Ave. property to be razed

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton The City of Warren Redevelopment Authority elected to take steps that will result in tearing down this property at 908-910 Pennsylvania Ave. E.

A Pennsylvania Ave. property owned by the City of Warren Redevelopment Authority will be torn down.

The RDA decided on the course of action this week, though it will be at least a month before the structure comes down.

“It has been on the market for some time with RealLiving,” Terry Williams, the city’s director of codes, permitting and recreation services said. “There has not been any significant or serious interest.”

She told the RDA that the Department of Public Works had to remove the back deck.

“It was extremely unstable,” she said, noting that there are other “significant property maintenance issues. We have had complaints from the neighborhood and they are legitimate complaints.”

Code Official Ken Hinton outlined those property maintenance issues – no front steps, “no public utilities which makes it uninhabitable” and doors that aren’t secure.

“There have been people in there,” he said. “Police have responded.

“We’re going to have to write a service request and notice of violation to the RDA.”

Hinton said the RDA has a couple of options – undertake the repairs or demolish the building.

Department of Public Works Director Mike Holtz said that he has taken two demolition contractors through the structure with the idea of having a contractor knock it down and then utilizing city crews to do the clean up.

However, he said one of the contractors was “not excited about that idea” for business and liability issues.

He did estimate the cost to demolish at $5,000 to $6,000.

Williams told the RDA someone had expressed a degree of interest in the structure as a commercial location but “said it might have taken up to five years. They were putting feelers out.”

She said they were encouraged to attend Wednesday and didn’t do so.

Holtz called it a “tough rehab” and “almost a dead start.”

“It seems like it’s been on the market long enough,” RDA Chair Tricia Durbin said.

RDA member David Cantrell asked “how much money” the RDA has “tied up in this property.”

Holtz estimated about $10,000.

“(The) thing has been a thorn in the side long enough,” Cantrell said, saying that repairing the structure would be like “slapping lipstick on a pig…. My vote is that we tear it down.”

“I don’t think there’s any savings at this point,” RDA member Michael Boyd said. “It’s been out there long enough.”

The RDA unanimously agreed to pursue demolishing the structure and Holtz said he would present formal bids to the RDA at next months’ meeting.

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