Kulik: $310,000 awarded to fight blight

Stowe Township and Char-West council get grants

CORAOPOLIS, May 25 – Tapping into state funding to remove blight, eliminate danger and prepare land for reuse, state Rep. Anita Kulik today announced $310,000 in grants for two projects impacting her district in Allegheny County.

Kulik, D-Allegheny, welcomed the Commonwealth Financing Authority awards – $110,000 for Stowe Township and $200,000 for the Char-West Council of Governments – as a vital tool to remediate blight and set in motion potential redevelopment.

“Everyone knows the damaging effect that blight has on public safety, property values and a community’s desirability as a place for families to live and businesses to invest,” Kulik said. “This state aid will help eliminate those negatives and turn our comeback tide in an even more positive direction.”

Kulik provided this breakdown of the CFA funding through the state’s Blight Mediation Program:

  • Stowe Township will use its $110,000 to demolish seven properties that are beyond repair and present a clear danger to the community, in keeping with the township’s blight remediation plan.
  • Char-West Council of Governments will use its $200,000 to demolish 12 properties sprinkled throughout 10 Allegheny County municipalities, each of which has a blighted structure and will see the site restored for future development. A few of them include asbestos abatement.

The state’s Blight Remediation Program includes funding for the acquisition, demolition, and/or rehabilitation of blighted properties or properties affected by natural disasters – including clearing and preparing land for future use and projects resulting in visible improvements.