City to demolish Main Street property
The City of Butler is set to demolish a Main Street property after a court order was issued that will hand the property over to the city.
City council voted unanimously at a meeting Thursday evening, July 23, to hire Hiles Excavating to demolish 123 S. Main St. at a cost of $102,855.
Mayor Bob Dandoy said the demolition was “a long time coming” and was due to both atmospheric and safety purposes. He said the demolition will be scheduled for as soon as possible.
“This is something that has hung over our heads for a very long time,” he said.
Dandoy said the cost to demolish the building is expensive, but nowhere near what he predicted.
Solicitor Tom Breth added the building’s current owner, Chris Gatto, has been issued a court order that requires him to transfer the property to the city. He added the property will be transferred to the city once the demolition is ready to go.
“We didn’t want the property sitting in the city’s name for an extended period of time,” he explained.
Dandoy said the soon-to-be vacant lot will be transferred into the hands of the city’s fledgling land bank “in time.” From there, it will be the land bank board’s responsibility to determine what’s next for the property.
“This has to come down, but we’ll see what the future brings,” he said.
