SHENANDOAH, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— Twenty properties in Schuylkill County are being reduced to rubble. The demolitions are taking place to eliminate some of the blight in downtown Shenandoah.
28/22 News reporter Joe Mason has more on these demolitions.
Several elected officials across Schuylkill County are coming together to see the progress being made in Shenandoah.
Twenty of the borough's blighted properties are in the process of being torn down.
Michael Whitecavage is a councilman in the borough.
Home destroyed after morning fire in Susquehanna Co.
He says the buildings have been empty for a while, and are frequently used by people seeking shelter.
"These houses were a catastrophe waiting to happen in town. Like I said, we had squatters in there. People doing some nefarious things. We didn't need the whole block to burn down. Which, again, coming down and something new going up will be great for the town," explained Whitecavage.
Neighbors also say these demolitions are long overdue.
"The buildings are falling down, someone's gonna get hurt. You know, people running in and out of them. You know, the town's shaping up. They've been getting rid of a lot of the buildings that need to be demolitioned. It's starting to look good," voiced Ronald Goddard.
We asked what the total cost of the project is, but didn't get a clear answer.
We do know the county chipped in $500,000, and the borough chipped in $40,000.
Local leaders say they hope senior housing, veterans housing, or low income housing apartments will go in these vacant lots.
