Nuisance complaint may be way forward for demolition of Vi's Bar in Vandergrift

Neighbors of the former Vi’s Bar in Vandergrift expressed relief that the abandoned building might finally be demolished after years of deterioration.

Its glowing sign hasn’t been lit in more than a decade. The building at 127 Grant Ave. is falling in on itself. Its roof is caving in, so residents see it as a safety issue.

“That’s just what happens when the building has been neglected for so long,” said Jay Mowers, co-owner of the former G.C. Murphy building across the street. “It needs to be torn down.”

The bar has been on the borough’s demolition list for years, but the council has been unable to obtain the required right-to-entry forms to begin work. Borough Solicitor Larry Loperfito told council this week that the bar was removed from the county’s list of properties to be torn down due to the hang-up.

Loperfito said the owner of the property is deceased and his heirs have not cooperated to provide the forms. As of Monday, two of the heirs provided the forms, he said, but two more must still provide them in order to move forward.

With that prospect still uncertain, he asked council for permission to file a nuisance complaint.

“If we don’t get them, then we will file a nuisance complaint with a county judge,” Loperfito said.

If a judge grants the borough’s request to demolish the property as a nuisance, it will clear the way for the property to be returned to the list and be torn down, Loperfito said.

“All we have to do is get (the county) the access. They’ll do all the rest,” he said, including covering demolition costs.

Council approved his request without objection.

Vi’s Bar is not the only property of concern in in the borough.

Grant Avenue alone is lined with dark and boarded windows. It’s typical in a historic town like Vandergrift, one with so many old buildings in need of maintenance, Mowers said.

Mowers has co-owned his building for a little more than four years. He’s had to do extensive work to repair the roof and other features.

Vandergrift Councilwoman Karen McClarnon, who is serving her first term, said she was unaware of the issues with Vi’s Bar before council’s meeting Monday. McClarnon campaigned heavily to improve or remove abandoned properties during her run for council.

“Around here, and one of the reasons that I ran, as a borough, we need to start addressing abandoned properties,” McClarnon said. “We just have to make sure we’re following all the codes, and that should be a first priority.”