Six Alle-Kiski Valley communities will be taking part in a regional property conditions assessment and blight mitigation plan.

The municipalities — Arnold, New Kensington, Allegheny Township, East Vandergrift, Vandergrift and West Leechburg — are among the eight members of the Alle-Kiski Intergovernmental Council, formed in 2021 and through which they work together by discussing opportunities to share services, jointly buy items and tackle common challenges.

Two of the council’s members, Lower Burrell and Upper Burrell, opted to not participate in the mitigation plan, said New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo, the council’s chair.

Upper Burrell Supervisor Ross Walker said his township chose not to participate because of the cost and because, he says, the township has no blight.

“If we do, it’s just a matter of cutting the grass,” he said. “We’re a small township, and everybody takes a great deal of pride in their property. We really don’t have a problem there.”

Lower Burrell Manager Greg Primm was still manager of Allegheny Township when Lower Burrell chose not to participate. His understanding is that Lower Burrell opted out because it had not budgeted for the cost, which he said would have been several thousand dollars.

The two-phase project is expected to start soon and take about a year to finish. The communities are partnering with Westmoreland County’s Department of Planning and Development, the Redevelopment Authority of Westmoreland County and the Local Government Academy.

The Redevelopment Authority contributed $21,500 to the project, while the Local Government Academy provided $20,000, which Guzzo said covers most of the cost. Each participating municipality is contributing a different amount based on its population, he said.

The project is intended to give the municipalities data to help them determine their priorities and how to use resources to attack blight, Guzzo said.

“It will help us prioritize where to attack first, or what to attack first. Although we’ve been doing a lot of that already, this will be more of a formal solution to it,” Guzzo said. “Tackling blight positively affects all of our communities. It improves public safety, it improves our neighborhoods and our businesses and it spurs economic growth.”

The project’s first phase will see county planners work with local government officials to collect property information and create an online mapping tool. The tool will display property information alongside tax delinquency, crime incidents and code violations.

Guzzo said that is expected to take about seven months.

In the second phase, county planners will work with a blight task force to create a plan mapping out strategies and tactics for each community to address.

“The goal of this project isn’t just about identifying the problem; it’s about providing a dynamic solution,” said Allegheny Township Supervisor Mike Korns, council vice chair. “By pinpointing blight hotspots and critical properties alongside other data through this project, we hope to better allocate resources more efficiently and implement targeted measures.”

The Local Government Academy, a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit organization, will provide technical assistance to incorporate a market-based analysis and recommendations, which will be included in the blight plan.

“Local Government Academy is proud to have the opportunity to work on this important initiative and highlight the value of regional cooperation in combating persistent issues such as blight,” said its executive director, Joy M. Ruff.

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