The Board of Directors for the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation, in partnership with the Board of Directors of the Westmoreland County Land Bank held a groundbreaking ceremony for the demolition of the former Monsour Medical Center Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. The event took place on the parking lot adjacent to the property at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and US Rt. 30.
“It is a great day for the City of Jeannette and the County of Westmoreland as we kick-off a very exciting redevelopment project long in the making,” said Charles Anderson, County Commissioner and Chairman of the Board. “This is a very positive project for the County and all the organizations who came together to make this possible.”
The first phase of the redevelopment project will consist of environmental remediation and demolition of the remaining structure beginning in October 2015 with work anticipated to be completed within six months. The second phase, which is expected to proceed immediately following the completion of phase I, will include site preparation, utility extensions, and storm water improvements.
“This project exemplifies all the great people and organizations that came together and collaborated to get this done,” said Tyler Courtney, County Commissioner. “We are all very excited to see that tower come down. This demolition project is long overdue.”
“The significance of this project cannot be overstated as this was the first impression of our county for out-of-towners for way too long,” said Ted Kopas, County Commissioner. “After all the hurdles we had to overcome by working through the multiple liens on the property, writing and receiving numerous grants, and the cooperation of all the organizations that came together to make this great day possible.”
Funding for this contract will be provided by a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project grant in the amount of $591,800 and a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $500,000.