The demolition of the former Fort Pitt brewery in West Jeannette is imminent.
Westmoreland County officials plan to meet with the contractor Wednesday to set a start date, said Brian Lawrence, director of the Westmoreland County Land Bank and Redevelopment Authority.
The contract was awarded Tuesday through the board of redevelopment administrators to GEMM Demolition. McKees is the lowest bidder with $335,087. The value is about part of what the government expected.
“That’s a smart thing to do because it means we can demolish more homes through the (American Rescue Plan Act) program,” Lawrence said, estimating that 30 more homes could be wiped out with savings.
Preparations for demolition have been underway for months since the land bank acquired the dilapidated red-brick construction complex in a court sale in August 2022. The buildings have been a headache for city officials for years.
The task is funded by a $10. 4 million American Rescue Plan fund set aside by Westmoreland County for remediation of the blight in seven communities, Jeannette added.
The demolition is expected to take about six months.
When that begins, Lawrence said citizens and nearby businesses will expect noise and vibration and that many precautions will be taken to avoid problems.
“Nothing will be harmful,” he said.
Once demolished, the assets will be rehabilitated to prepare them for redevelopment.
Lawrence compared the brewery’s task to the 2023 demolition of Advance Furniture’s old construction in Greensburg, which he said was safely completed. Fort Pitt’s construction is similar in height to Advance Furniture’s six-story construction.
The West Jeannette site was in the former home of Victor Brewing Co. , established in 1907. Fort Pitt Brewing purchased the assets in 1941, according to media reports. In the mid-1950s, Papercraft Corp. expanded its gift packaging production operations before the factory went dormant in the mid-1970s.
He subsequently bought through Laurel Mould, which produced plastic food packaging. The assets were sold at the Sheriff’s Sale and then purchased through Rufus Corp.
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