Apr 28, 2015 2 min read

State Sen. Camera Bartolotta will host a hearing on blight remediation today in the Mon Valley where rundown and abandoned houses have become a growing problem.

Members of the state Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee are expected to hear testimony from Mon Valley mayors, the Washington County Redevelopment Authority and others at the 6 p.m. hearing at the Carroll Township Municipal Building.

“I’d like to get the politicians to realize there is a problem out here with blight, particularly in the Mon Valley,” Donora Mayor Don Pavelko said.

“We could use some help,” he said.

The Mon Valley has many houses and other buildings that were purchased sight unseen by people frequenting property sales on the Web and later abandoned because of their low values. Some of the buildings also have expensive liens on them, making them difficult to market.

Dealing with the blight also can be expensive because there are clearances that must be dealt with in parts of the Mon Valley on the National Register of Historic Places or eligible for the list, Pavelko said.

“I appreciate the fact that this hearing gives our local officials a chance to share their perspectives with lawmakers so we can make progress toward returning blighted properties in our region to productive use,” said Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township.

She said blight is a difficult problem because “no two communities are alike.”

“The strategies that work in Philadelphia or Erie may not be useful in our area,” she said.

A video of the hearing will be available at www.senatorbartolotta.com.