The sound of crunching wood, metal and glass is music to Mark Wadsworth’s ears.
Thursday, a blighted building located at 319 Main Street in South Fork Borough, Cambria County was torn down.
“Big step forward,” Wadsworth said. “It’s almost 100-years-old. It was a good, solid building at one time. It wasn’t taken care of and that brings us to this point right now.”
South Fork native Debbie Peel said she’s torn about the building being torn down.
“There’s a lot of bittersweet memories here. It used to be the five-and-ten when I was a kid. You could buy all kinds of toys, coloring books, crayons, for 10, 25 cents,” Peel said.
The property is the first to be demolished through the county’s Act 152 blight fund, a state law which the county commissioners adopted in January 2017.
Fifteen dollars is collected from new homeowners or deed transfers. Every year, that fund generates about $100,000 to knock down about seven to 15 homes.
“We’re the second county in the state to enact Act 152. This is Act 152 dollars staying in Cambria County and going to work in Cambria County,” said President Commissioner Tom Chernisky.
The county’s redevelopment authority accepts applications from local towns and municipalities on a rolling basis.
“There definitely is a process to it. We thank the South Fork Borough. This happened a year ago, so they’ve been very patient with waiting for this demolition to occur,” said Renee Daly, the executive director for the county’s redevelopment authority.
Blight has been a growing problem in South Fork for years. Collapsing buildings have even shut down streets as a precaution.
Wadsworth said knocking down this building is a start, but the borough needs more state support.
“Nobody wants to live next to blight. It’s a problem. It’s a health issue and a safety issue,” Wadsworth said. “I think property owners need to take responsibility and be held accountable.”
Demolition and cleanup will take about two weeks to complete because the building has asbestos and sits close to surrounding properties.
By the end of this year, the county plans to tear down five other blighted properties in Johnstown, Dale Borough and West Taylor Township.
As for prevention, county officials said it’s up to property owners and local municipal officials to enforce codes and prevent blight.