Pocono News Section

Pittston proprety demolition

Pittston proprety demolition - Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 4:45PM EST

Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 @ 04:45pm EST

A Pittston property that was set on fire will be knocked down.

Neighbors say it's about time.

Investigators are still looking for the person who started the fire at a vacant house on Elizabeth Street in September.

The building has been vacant for a while.

The city has cited it's owner, a well known bakery owner in Pittston.

City code officer Greg Guilick says the owner will pay to demolish it Wednesday morning..

That's good news to neighbors like Debbie Vukovich.

She says, "This is dilapidated, and it's a health hazard, and it's the truth. And I'm not the only one that will tell you, anybody on this block will tell you. There's rats, there's mice, there's everything. So it needs to go."

And it is going to go, but only because it has to.

The city says it's too dangerous to remain standing.

Guilick says he's cited the property owner Angelo Parente several times since 2006.

And this isn't the only run down property Parente owns.

The city says Parente's property on Fear Street is becoming dangerous.

Gulick says the roof is starting to collapse.

Neighboring business owner Frank Costantino says the building isn't safe.

He says, "Take him out of here. The best thing is to take him out of here and forget about it, because it's not in contention to be fixed., or anything like that. And besides, many times the doors, they're open and the kids go in and out. Somebody's going to get killed."

While Parente owns more boarded up properties like this one on miler street, he also owns a well known Main Street bakery.

We tried talking to him, but he didn't have anything to say on camera.

Gulick says it's tough getting Parente to fix up his eyesores.

"It's all when we go to court. We discuss it there and if he pays the fine we start all over again with another citation," says Gulick.

And that's Gulick says he'll keep doing.

The Elizabeth Street property is one of four unsolved arson's in Pittston from last month.