Jeannette Residents Fed Up With Vermin-Infested Trash House
JEANNETTE (KDKA) -- People who live in one Westmoreland County town say they are tired of trash, flies and other vermin.
Neighbors on Vine Street in Jeannette say there's a vacant house on their block that is a nuisance. Not only is the property not being kept up, but now some people are dumping their trash on site.
"I've watched this house go from a respectable dwelling to the eyesore we see now," said Tom Kennedy, a neighbor.
"There's junk in the shed, the house has been cleared out, but there have been vagrants in the house," added Margaret McCune, another neighbor. "Nobody is taking care of it."
Owned by a man named William Schwarts of Jeannette, the home's been abandoned for at least six years.
City officials say Schwarts has skipped town.
Neighbors say there is so much trash, it has filled the garage and is piling up in the yard. They say they've been complaining for a while, but nothing has been done about the problem.
Many would like to see the house demolished and cleaned up, but with the City of Jeannette, that's easier said than done.
The home has to be inspected, face a health board hearing, and a report is sent to the council who then decides if the home must be torn down. Or, the house is put in a county repository where the homes are essentially taken over by the county. Then, offered for sale.
"After every avenue is exhausted, we will go ahead and have that property removed," said Richard Jacobelli, the mayor of Jeannette.
That can happen soon enough for McCune who has big plans for this blight.
"I do have a goal for this property," she said. "I'd like to put in a community garden like they've done in Pittsburgh in some of the vacant lots there."
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