Eight properties to be razed in Girard Estate demolition program
SHENANDOAH HEIGHTS – Eight properties in William Penn and Brownsville are coming down as part of the Girard Estate demolition program.
West Mahanoy Township supervisors approved the demolitions at Tuesday’s monthly meeting.
The homes are at 217, 219, 265, 267, 281, and 283 Mount Olive Boulevard and at 1201 and 1225 West Coal Street.
The Philadelphia-based trust owns most of the land in the township and has demolished dozens of abandoned structures on their land since around 2010.
They are on land leased from the Girard Estate and the taxes and leases have not been paid.
The Girard Estate was established in the will of the late Stephen Girard, who owned large sections of land in the coal region.
He established the trust with the City of Philadelphia to start and maintain a school for orphaned children, Girard College, and the estate owns much of the land in the northern section of West Mahanoy Township.
Most of that land is leased to coal companies and, in 2021 the land holdings in our area brought in $1.8 Million for the estate, according to their annual financial report that year.
In other business, township supervisors approved an ordinance raising the fine for quality of life violations.
Supervisors Chairman Paul “Pepper” Martin said the fine will be raised from $25 to $100.
“$25 just wasn’t cutting it. Let’s get their attention,” Martin said.
Supervisors also approved increasing road worker Bernard Leonard’s pay rate to $18 and advertise for a seasonal road crew worker.
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