Bridgeville receives grant to acquire, demolish flood-prone properties

Katie Green | Tuesday, July 20, 2021 10:07 a.m.

Katie Green | Tribune-Review

The Italian Club on Margaret Street in Bridgeville is under historic review. It is in a flood-prone area of the borough where properties are slated to be acquired and demolished as part of a FEMA and PEMA grant.

Bridgeville has been awarded more than $1.23 million to acquire flood-prone properties on Baldwin and Margaret streets in the borough.

According to a news release, the award is part of the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which is part of the Robert T. Stafford act.

The borough is hoping to acquire and demolish nine properties. So far, eight of them are funded. The ninth, the Italian Club on Margaret Street, is under historical review, according to borough manager Joe Kauer.

Flooding in this area of the borough is nothing new.

Earlier this month, at least four properties on Baldwin Street near the intersection of Jane Way had to be evacuated because of flooding.

“The time of this grant announcement is purely coincidence to the flooding of July 7,” Kauer said. “This application has been in motion since 2019.”

The same area flooded after three inches of rain in two hours in 2013. In June 2018, more flooding caused the Railyard Grill & Tap Room to close for nearly eight months to clean and repair the damage.

The properties — all of which are within the FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area in the 500 and 600 block of Baldwin Street and the 400 block of Margaret Street — will be demolished after the borough acquires them. Per the grant guidelines, Bridgeville will not be permitted to rebuild on the sites after demolition.

The program is voluntary, meaning property owners cannot be forced to sell.

The grant was funded at 100% from FEMA and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency with no matching funds from the borough. The total award is $1,236,200.

The project should mitigate future flooding in the area.

Properties owners will soon be receiving notification letters that outline the next steps.

According to the borough, property acquisitions might begin as early as this fall. The project is anticipated to take two years.

The borough hopes to have all participating properties vacant by the end of this year to begin demolition work.