Munhall council orders condemnation hearings for five derelict houses, owner warned of liens

Munhall Borough Council voted to condemn five residential properties identified as public nuisances and directed the borough solicitor to prepare written adjudications after an evidentiary hearing that included an engineer’s inspection and a property owner’s public comment.

Borough Solicitor Greg Evashovic opened the hearing and identified the five addresses on the agenda — 1709 Martha Street, 1713 Martha Street, 25 Harrison Street, 26 Harrison Street and 1214 Louis Street — and said title searches and mailed notices to owners and interested parties had been completed and would be entered into the record as exhibits.

Borough engineer Matt Elias of KLH testified he had inspected each property and prepared written reports with photographs. Elias described widespread deterioration: 1709 and 1713 Martha were two‑story wood‑frame houses with interior and roof damage, mold and eroded slopes behind the houses; 25 and 26 Harrison showed missing windows and doors with water and pest intrusion, and 25 Harrison had possible fire damage and extensive graffiti; 1214 Louis had a failed rear structure, rotten porch and deteriorated roofing. Elias said, “I believe they do” constitute nuisances, are in violation of borough codes, and are fire, safety and health hazards, and he recommended the structures be razed.

Kitty Galewski, identified in the record as the titled owner of 1709 Martha Street and now using the hyphenated name Kitty Kelly‑Bear, addressed the council. She said the property was foreclosed and went through sheriff sale in 2007 and that the borough previously notified her in 2007 that the property was condemned. She said she did not dispute the current condition but questioned whether she would be held personally liable for demolition costs. Evashovic and borough staff explained that when the borough pays for demolition, state and local practice is to place a lien on the property for the cost; the lien attaches to the parcel and is collectible when the property is sold.

Code enforcement officer David Cannon provided historical context, saying county and utility recommendations in 2007 had advised leaving the structures in place because of unstable soils and landslide risk. He and staff described past decisions to leave foundations in place at a previously demolished adjacent property to help stabilize the slope.

Council members asked about funding and process. Borough Manager David Tye confirmed notices and postings had been performed and that the county had awarded funding for demolition this year; he cautioned that the exact demolition cost would not be known until the borough completed condemnation, solicited bids and reviewed the amounts. Tye said the borough would condemn first, obtain bids, and if funding covered the costs the borough would proceed with demolition and then file liens to recover expenditures.

After public testimony and council questions, a council member moved to condemn the five properties and instruct the solicitor to prepare written adjudications. The motion was seconded by Jay Eads and approved on a voice vote; the minutes record the motion carried and the solicitor was directed to prepare the formal adjudications.

The council and staff repeatedly framed the condemnation as a legal remedy for hazardous structures, not as a transfer of title — the owner remains the titled owner unless and until the title is otherwise changed. Staff noted the borough’s authority to demolish hazardous buildings but said the borough is not legally obligated to demolish every condemned structure and that grants and available funding will determine which structures can be removed this year.

Council members and staff also discussed the stability of the slope behind the Martha Street properties; staff said the slope remains steep and difficult to access and that in a prior demolition the foundation was left to help hold the hillside.

The council’s action begins a statutory process: notices, adjudication, and, if funding allows, demolition with the cost liened to the parcels. Bids must still be solicited and confirmed before any work begins.

For now, the immediate outcome is a formal condemnation finding and instruction to the solicitor to prepare written adjudications; funding and the schedule for demolition remain contingent on bids and county grant availability.