Lansford Borough Council on Wednesday set in motion three Community Development Block Grant projects along West Ridge Street, including the razing of a condemned structure and reconstructing a deteriorating street.

Council authorized ARRO Engineering to prepare demolition bids for 151-151½ W. Ridge St., a towering double home that has been buckling and threatening to fall into West Snyder Avenue for two years.

Residents questioned why the borough was using taxpayer money in the form of grants to tear down the home, which changed hands at a tax sale since the project began. They suggested citing the new owner of the condemned structure.

Council members pointed out that they would be starting the process over from the beginning and they’re ready to tear down a hazardous structure now.

Council President Bruce Markovich said the new owner, who didn’t want his side of the double home torn down, is now OK with the entire building coming down.

Markovich said previously that the borough engineer determined that half of the five-story structure couldn’t stand alone.

The borough closed a portion of West Snyder Avenue for a time back in 2023, when it first sought CDBG funds to raze the structure.

Ridge St. reconstruction

Council also designated two projects for its CDBG funding for 2025, which includes the reconstruction and paving of three blocks of West Ridge Street, which is crumbling in areas.

The borough wants to reconstruct and pave the 100, 200, and 300 blocks of West Ridge Street, which includes a part of the business district.

The borough expects about $94,000 in CDBG funding for 2025, and also designated a project to install handicapped accessible doors for the borough building with this funding. The doors are expected to cost $14,000, Markovich said.

The remaining CDBG funding, about $80,000, will go toward the reconstruction and paving project. The borough plans to use state Liquid Fuels funds to pay for this project as well.

Council also approved preparing a mixed funds agreement between to the borough, Carbon County and the state Department of Transportation for the use of the CDBG funds and state Liquid Fuels funds to pay for the streets project.