The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

September 20, 2012

Boosel Estates expansion advances

By Joe Pinchot Herald Staff Writer

SHARON — Mercer County Housing Authority board on Wednesday extended the contracts of the architect and contractors of L. DeWitt Boosel Estates, Sharon, as officials work toward building a duplex on the property.

The 20-apartment building on Russell Street was built with a federal Neighborhood Stabilization Grant, which also funded the rehabilitation of three foreclosed homes in Hermitage.

Because the Hermitage project was limited to the Rombold Road and Patagonia areas – Census-designated low- and moderate-income areas – officials said they could not find another house to work on that did not require more work than the money available, $100,000.

Hermitage officials allowed the authority to transfer that money for the Boosel expansion.

Authority Executive Director Nannette Livadas said another $60,000 is left over from the initial Boosel project. The authority also can use Replacement Housing funding toward the project, she said.

The rough estimate to build the duplex is $200,000.

The remaining Neighborhood Stabilization Grant has to be obligated by March 31, but Livadas said there is no timetable for construction.

The duplex, which already is designed, will be built on a separate lot behind the main Boosel Estates building.

Boosel Estates’ apartments are filled and there is a waiting list.

In a related matter, officials from the authority and Sharon are discussing creating a housing rehabilitation program that would focus on foreclosed and abandoned houses in the city.

The program, which the authority board approved Wednesday, would be separate from Sharon’s rehab program for owner-occupied homes.

City code officials and the authority’s maintenance staff will be involved in choosing potential homes and the scope of the work to be done, Livadas said.

The authority has some money set aside from the development fees it has earned for recent projects, but identifying money for the rehab program will be a key item for continued discussion between the government entities, Livadas said.

“It’s a big program,” she said.

Sharon council is expected to consider the agreement today.

Text Only
Local News
  • Ex-PTO officers in court on embezzlement charges

    Two women accused of stealing more than $35,000 from the Hermitage Parent-Teacher Organization turned themselves in at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Hermitage police station.

    May 24, 2013

  • Urban decay creates hazard for schoolkids

    Sharon schools Superintendent John Sarandrea shook his head Thursday afternoon as he surveyed a partially collapsed building across the street from Musser Elementary School.

    May 24, 2013

  • Voters choose 4 newcomers, unseating 2 board members

    Sharon residents likely will be seeing four new faces at school board meetings starting in December.

    May 23, 2013

  • Plan for Speedway station gets nod from commissioners

    Alan Baldarelli asked whether he could appeal Hermitage commissioners’ decision to approve a land-development plan for a Speedway gas station and convenience store, but did not say whether he planned to appeal.

    May 23, 2013

  • PTO officers charged with theft

    Hermitage police on Wednesday charged two officials of the Hermitage Parent-Teacher Organization with stealing more than $35,000 from the organization between May 2012 and March.

    May 23, 2013

  • Memorial Day events

    Area communities announced their Memorial Day commemorations for 2013.

    May 23, 2013

  • Was land feud motive?

    Ralph L. Young wanted to build some kind of ministry on the family property where he grew up in Franklin.

    May 23, 2013

  • Harry will face Dunder in fall

    Hermitage Treasurer and Tax Collector Bernie Telega Harry easily outdistanced a challenger for the Democratic nomination Tuesday and now can set her sights on a Republican hopeful.

    May 22, 2013

  • Accused gunman guilty of armed robbery

    The man accused of shooting William Basilone Jr. to death outside his Farrell bar was convicted Tuesday of robbing a Sharon man at gunpoint outside his home the night before the killing.

    May 22, 2013

  • Candidates hit streets to earn write-in votes

    If you voted Tuesday in Sharon, odds are you bumped into either a write-in candidate or one of their supporters campaigning outside for your vote for city council.

    May 22, 2013