Neglect: Police cite airport authority for condition of building

March 29, 2006

By Pat Litowitz
New Castle News

The former Marine barracks looks like it’s been through a war.

Shattered windows and peeling paint are wounds that can be fixed. The real damage is the collapsed sections and the remnants of roofing now lying on the cement floors.

Then there’s the asbestos.

Located in Union Township, the facility has been neglected for years. Every so often, someone offers to purchase the site or there are discussions of tearing it down. But the plans never materialize, and the money isn’t available.

What was once a nuisance is now a hazard.

“It’s a dangerous building,” Joseph Lombardo, township police chief, said. “What I’m afraid of is some kids getting hurt there.”

Lombardo issued a citation against the building’s owner, the Lawrence County Airport Authority, over the condition of the structure on Old Youngstown Road. It is up to the township and authority to determine how to correct the problem.

Seth Kohn, authority chairman, agrees with Lombardo’s assessment.

“I want that building down. It’s a liability issue.”

Earlier this month, two New Castle News staffers attempted to gain access to the building. With minimal effort, they were able to enter at two locations.

Rain and snow had saturated the interior. Sections of the building had caved in, deteriorated lumber filled the rooms. Cement blocks and ceiling beams remained in place throughout the mess.

The News notified the airport authority of the access issues. One entrance has since been boarded. The second has yet to be secured.

“It’s in terrible shape,” Kohn said. “We know that.”

In 2002, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation provided $976,500 to the New Castle Municipal Airport for upgrades. There wasn’t enough money left to raze the barracks.

“At one point we supposedly had money from PennDOT to demolish it,” Kohn said. “Every time we think we got it resolved a roadblock comes up.”

The authority runs on a limited budget. What money is brought in goes toward operational expenses.

Meanwhile, the building’s condition has impacted home sales in the area.

The Villas at Glen Arbor, a Howard Hanna development, is across the street.

“The first year I was out there people asked, ‘What is that ugly building across the street?’” said Susie Essawi, a real estate agent with Howard Hanna’s New Castle office. “I still get questions about it.”

The development’s first model, which faces the former barracks, took approximately a year and a half to sell.

“That was a horrible stigma to get past,” she said.

Four of The Villas’ six houses have been sold, with buyers finalizing paperwork on the remaining two. The development will ultimately feature 80 homes.

To date, Lombardo said, there have been no incidents or injuries at the site.

“What I see of it, it just needs to be torn down,” he said. “That would resolve the issue.”