Residents, council spar over repairs and future use of Munhall's old municipal building; manager says $58,000 boiler repair estimate

Public commenters pressed Munhall Borough Council on Feb. 18 to repair and reuse the old municipal building, saying the borough should not allow the structure to deteriorate, while staff and some council members urged obtaining additional cost estimates before committing funds.

A resident who identified themselves during public comment said the borough has a surplus and checking balances and called it "not acceptable" to leave the old municipal building without heat. The commenter said people had expressed interest in renting the building and that the second floor appeared the most likely space to make rentable with work. The comment produced repeated requests from council members for additional estimates.

Borough staff reported that repairs to the boiler in the old municipal building were estimated at about $58,000 and that the building is currently cold. Manager David said the space formerly used by outside groups has been cleared and that an agreement with the solicitor would be needed to permit interim storage or use. Council members and residents discussed placing the item on the March workshop agenda and obtaining another independent estimate for the boiler repair; one council member said attempts to recruit tenants had yielded little interest to date because of the building's condition.

Council members also noted budget line items previously set aside for building repairs (line items reported at a lower amount, such as $10,000–$20,000) and questioned whether larger unforeseen costs would require additional appropriations. Several speakers urged the borough to preserve and reuse the building rather than allow dilapidation.

Ending: Council directed staff to seek another estimate, discuss the issue at the March workshop and report back; no formal appropriation for the boiler repair was made at the Feb. 18 meeting.