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More abandoned houses have been slated for demolition, and with a backlog of houses waiting to be torn down, the city may use public works employees to perform some of the work in the future.

Council last week approved a $216,100 contract with Stash Trucking to demolish 34 vacant houses in the area near Carnegie Library of McKeesport with funding from the Allegheny County Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund.

But with hundreds of other houses abandoned and deteriorating --- many of them in the Versailles Avenue, Stewart Street and Jenny Lind Street corridors --- Mayor Mike Cherepko said the city administration and Teamsters Local 205 are discussing a proposal to use public works employees to tear down some structures.

"The idea is to start doing the demolitions ourselves," Cherepko said. "We have already reached out to our union and we have reached out to our liability insurance carrier ... we think we can do this."

. . .

The houses being targeted in the next wave of demolition include seven on Union Avenue, six on Centennial Street, four on Bailie Avenue, and others on Versailles, Manor, Grant, Coursin and Boquet.

They're being demolished as part of the Seventh Ward blight eradication program announced in June.

Work should begin as early as December, Cherepko said. The city will have to pare down the list of homes slightly to bring the job in under the $200,000 allocated by the county. Officials said tearing down a single house costs between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on construction and size, and whether or not the building is close to occupied homes.

"My biggest concern every year is waiting and wondering if we're going to get grant money to tear down old houses," Cherepko said. "We estimate we've got another 400-plus homes that need to come down."

. . .

Vacant homes in McKeesport, as in other Rust Belt cities, have been part of a vicious cycle for decades. More than 18 percent of the city's housing units --- which includes apartments --- are believed to be vacant, census data indicates.

Outside of the Haler Heights area, a large percentage of the city's houses were built between 1900 and 1920. According to U.S. Census data, more than 45 percent of McKeesport's 10,000 housing units were built before 1939. More than 52 percent of those houses are valued at less than $50,000.

Beginning in the 1980s, as thousands of people left the Mon Valley in search of work, older houses were sold off for rental properties. In some cases, because too many houses were for sale, homes were simply abandoned. In other cases, elderly residents have died either without heirs or without wills, leaving unwanted houses empty and dilapidated.

In the 2000s, depressed real estate values attracted out-of-state speculators, some of whom purchased houses in McKeesport using eBay and other Internet auction sites, hoping to "flip" them for higher prices.

More vacant houses have further depressed real estate values, which in turn has caused more houses to become vacant. In the so-called Delta report made public in 2011, neighborhood blight was identified as one of the most common complaints among both residents and elected officials.

. . .

The public-works department could not do demolition work with its present equipment, he said. The city would need to purchase an excavator, two new 10-ton dump trucks and a new 1-ton dump truck, Cherepko said, at a cost of about $100,000 per year over five years.

But the trucks are badly needed anyway to replace trucks in the city's existing fleet, the mayor said. "Some of our vehicles are practically antiques," Cherepko said. "I don't know what happens if another of our dump trucks breaks down again. Our maintenance and repairs aren't getting any less --- we're probably already looking at ($100,000) in repairs every year."

. . .

City workers would need to receive additional training to handle demolitions, said former public-works director and current Council President Darryl Segina. "It's not an easy job to do, but I think it's a worthwhile endeavor," he said.

The work would have to be scheduled during slack or slow times, especially in months when crews aren't doing paving or other maintenance, Cherepko said.

The mayor said he expects to have more information in time for council's discussions on the 2013 city budget.

. . .

Houses tentatively slated for demolition: At a hearing held Nov. 5, testimony was taken from the city's building inspector, fire chief and ordinance officer about the following properties. City council on Nov. 7 declared the properties blighted, dangerous and nuisances and slated them for demolition.

• 2620 Forest St.


• 2300 Collins St.


• 706 Union Ave.


• 1305 Union Ave.


• 1413 Union Ave.


• 1519 Union Ave.


• 1604 Union Ave.


• 1720 Union Ave.


• 1722 Union Ave.


• 1414 Versailles Ave.


• 1416 Versailles Ave.


• 1424 Versailles Ave.


• 1400 Manor Ave.


• 1608 Manor Ave.


• 1614 Manor Ave.


• 1508 Grant St.


• 1516 Grant St.


• 1522 Grant St.


• 1445 Jenny Lind St.


• 1414 Boquet St.


• 1424 Boquet St.


• 1440 Boquet St.


• 1714 Coursin St.


• 1828 Coursin St.


• 1304 Centennial St.


• 1316 Centennial St.


• 1320 Centennial St.


• 1406 Centennial St.


• 1411 Centennial St.


• 1505 Centennial St.


• 1505 Beaver St.


• 1507 Beaver St.


• 1407 Bailie Ave.


• 1408 Bailie Ave.


• 1504 Bailie Ave.


• 1619 Bailie Ave.

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