Residents Happy About Millvale Building Being Torn Down
MILLVALE (KDKA) - Demolition began Tuesday morning on an abandoned building that partially collapsed in Millvale Monday afternoon.
It was a long night for the demolition crew, but for the people living below the building, it has been an even longer wait.
The vacant apartment building began to fall Monday afternoon, but people living in the area said it has been crumbling for a number of years.
When the back wall collapsed, fear set in.
At midnight, a demolition crew began tearing down the three-story structure. Evergreen Avenue had to be closed, but residents were happy something was being done about the problem.
"Big sigh of relief. I have three daughters that play in the creek back there and there's always a worry that something would break, piece of wood. Something [was] going to fall and it could [have] really hurt someone," Terry Johnson said.
Ed Charters owns several row houses on North Avenue behind the building. He was concerned about debris falling into Girty's Run which could have caused flooding.
"The only thing that I was worried about is if it falls into the creek here," Charters said.
Most of the residents shared his concerns. They feared if the building fell that it would dam up the creek and bring water into their back yards and inside their homes.
"We'll be done probably 24 hours from now," Dale Lutterman from Lutterman Demolition said. "We'll have all the wood debris hauled out by 3 p.m. and then we'll be able to open the road back up and finish the project."
RELATED LINKS
Crews Begin Demolition Of Collapsing Building
More Local News
More Millvale News
More Reports From Brenda Waters