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Another 13 abandoned homes are scheduled for demolition city wide.

At its October meeting, city council by 6-0 vote awarded a $92,700 demolition contract to Lutterman Excavating of Unity Township, Westmoreland County. Lutterman was the lowest of three bidders.

But Councilman Darryl Segina --- although he voted to award the contract --- said he "will not vote for another demolition list" until the city has a "comprehensive plan in place to deal with our housing stock and the quality of life in our neighborhoods."

The city is not properly enforcing its property maintenance codes, Segina said. "I think we need to address these things rather than just knocking these houses down," he said. "We have a landlord-tenant act, but it doesn't do any good to enact one if we don't enforce it."

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Segina also repeated a plea for the city to use its authority under the state's Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act, which was signed into law last year. The law, also known as "Senate Bill 900," allows municipalities to target out-of-state property owners with criminal charges and to obtain liens against their other properties to pay for remediation costs.

"It's about time we do something before these neighborhoods deteriorate to the point where no one wants to live here any more," Segina said.

The homes slated for demolition are at 914, 1715 and 2704 Jenny Lind St.; 716 Franklin St.; 2714 Grover St.; 1713 Sumac St.; 506 Romine Ave.; 2811 Grandview Ave.; 908 Park St.; 1404 Boquet St.; 1101 Park St.; 2724 Milburn St.; and 317 12th St.

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Funding for the demolitions will come from a grant from foundations overseen by Pittsburgh newspaper publisher Richard M. Scaife and from federal community development block grant money, says Bethany Budd Bauer, the city's community development director. But because the city doesn't have the full $92,700 available, not all of the houses in the contract council awarded will be torn down this year.

Still, it's welcome news to residents such as Cindy Downes of Milburn Street, who thanked Mayor Regis McLaughlin and other city officials for targeting the vacant house on her block. "It looks like we're finally making some progress," she said.

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Some of the homes on the demolition list are owned by out-of-state landlords. In one case, a landlord is a real-estate trust in the British island of Bermuda, a known haven for companies looking to avoid prosecution and taxes.

County tax records indicate the Milburn Street home is owned by a man from Cabazon, Calif., who purchased the one-story frame house in 2007 for $3,250. McKeesport Area School District and Allegheny County have filed liens against the property for unpaid taxes dating to 2008.

The Boquet Street house is owned by a real estate management company in Elmhurst, Ill., while the Park Street home is owned by a company based in Bermuda, and was "flipped" three times in 2005, for $6,500, $12,000 and $23,900. Two of those sales took place on the same day.

The other homes are owned by former or current McKeesport residents --- in some cases, deceased --- or by residents of nearby communities; tax records indicate the Franklin Street home is owned by a North Huntingdon Township couple, who also own other properties in the city.

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