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Millvale's renovation of duplex part of larger plan
Wednesday, August 02, 2000 By Rick Nowlin, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Today, one house. Tomorrow, the entire town.
Millvale might consider that an appropriate motto for the renovation of an abandoned three-story duplex at 133-135 Howard St.
This first project by the Millvale Borough Development Corp. marks another step in the borough's overall revitalization, which will include an upcoming waterfront project. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the duplex renovation took place yesterday morning.
"When you do something nice, people are drawn to it," Mayor Jim Burn said. "You do something good, [you hope to] get a domino effect. Instead of an eyesore, we're making it into an asset."
According to borough Manager Virginia Heller, the borough received ownership of the duplex from a former resident who could no longer maintain it, and the borough subsequently turned it over to the corporation for renovation. The structure already has been gutted.
Total cost of the project is estimated at $179,000, and Heller said the renovations should be completed by spring. Frank Leonardi Construction Corp. of Lawrenceville won the contract, and construction workers were already clearing out debris by the time the ceremony began.
Heller said that the corporation also has applied for a grant through Allegheny County's CORE program, which allows moderate-income families interested in buying homes to defer a part of the mortgages.
"After 10 or 15 years, the deferred mortgage would be forgiven," she said.
The project is being financed in part by the National City Development Corp. and the Millvale branch of Parkvale Savings Bank. A Community Development Block Grant from the federal government also will be used.
Heller also credited state Rep. Frank Pistella, D-Bloomfield, who attended the ribbon-cutting and provided $15,000 in seed money from the state to replace the badly deteriorated roof -- the first order of business.
But Pistella deflected any praise, saying elected officials were willing to lend the borough a hand once they saw Millvale's long-term plans.
"This is a grass-roots community development [effort]. All I did was point them in the right direction," he said.
Burn expects that, once completed, the duplex won't stay on the market long.
"While it's being built, we think we'll get a lot of requests from people looking into it," he said.
Heller, on the other hand, sees the corporation's vision broadening from simply renovating old homes.
"This is the first project -- they're new, and it takes a while to learn the ropes," she said. "Maybe [at some point] we'll see brand new structures built."
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