Monongahela out to fight blight
MONONGAHELA – Monongahela will be home to less blight this spring after the Washington County Redevelopment Authority awards contracts for demolition projects in the Mon Valley city.
The contracts will involve the removal of abandoned houses at 600 E. Main St., 425 High St. and 512 Park Ave., said Tammy Mayton, who is managing the projects for the authority.
The authority on Monday advertised for bids for the work from interested contractors, and it will announce the project cost after the contracts are awarded, Mayton said.
“We tend to do one demolition a year in Monongahela,” she said.
The authority is making plans to seek bids for nearly 10 other blight demolition projects in Centerville, Mayton said.
Blight is not a big problem in Monongahela, according to Les Pemberton, the city’s code enforcer.
Pemberton said he spends more time dealing with landlords to ensure repairs are made to their buildings than he does condemning properties.
“I don’t want empty lots in town,” he said. “We’d like to keep as much as possible for tax reasons.”