Glassport Officials Concerned Over Crumbling Building
GLASSPORT (KDKA) – Officials in Glassport are growing more concerned as bricks from a crumbling building have littered a sidewalk.
There are a lot of safety concerns about the stability of this building. Currently, there is caution tape surrounding it. However, that is all that can be done until the owner of the building is located.
Bricks are still scattered on the sidewalk after falling off the building in on Tuesday.
One man was almost hit by a brick while walking near the building on Ohio Avenue.
"I heard something fall and I looked back and I said, 'Who threw that brick at me?' Next thing I knew, the whole thing started coming down. So I hurried up and got out of the way," Robert John said.
Glassport officials have been aware of building problems for a while as concern over the safety of the structure grew.
The owner of the building, Thomas Mellor, has been unreachable by officials.
"We knew the walls were starting to swell. We've been trying to find him via mail. We're having a hard time contacting him. And now, as we're speaking, we still haven't found the owner of the building," Glassport Mayor Michael Evanovich said.
The building is now marked as uninhabitable and it hasn't had water service in over a year. The mayor believes it was vacant, except for one remaining tenant who moved recently.
With all the utilities now shut off as a precaution, the mayor still has worries about the building being so close to power lines, which run about half of the town.
"More bricks are going to fall. But, legally we can't touch that building. But, we're looking at it right now with attorneys and the building inspector to see if we can clean it up and make it a little safer for the public," Evanovich said.
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