McKeesport Rising
improves city
neighborhoods,
business districts
When McKeesport Mayor Michael
Cherepko introduced the McKeesport
Rising Project with the city’s 2018 budget,
it was presented with visions of a resilient
phoenix rising from the blight of a tired Rust
Belt town to reveal a renewed enthusiasm
for neighborhood improvements and
economic development, along with a
continued commitment to public safety.
“This image continues to serve as a
striking metaphor for any spiritual, societal,
or economic rebirth, and it is perfect for
describing the type of renaissance many
McKeesporters believe is necessary to
rebuild our community,” Cherepko wrote
at that time. “Municipalities across the
Monongahela River Valley are experiencing
much of what we have here in McKeesport.
In each case, local officials are trying to
rebuild whole communities that lost their
viability when the steel industry collapsed
in the 1980s. This event devastated our
valley because it was the only industry here
to support our communities.”
That understanding led to a push for a
diversified economy – drawing everything
from the familiar industry of steel pipe
manufacturing with Dura-Bond Industries
to the innovative medical cannabis
production of PurePenn LLC. The city has
made countless economic strides in recent
years with industries including Vegley
Welding, American Textile Co., and TriWire
Industries, as well as new retailers like ALDI,
Family Dollar, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, O’Reilly
Auto Parts, and many more.
With the sale of the Municipal Authority
of the City of McKeesport’s local sewage
treatment system in 2017, Cherepko said
the city is fortunate to have access to
new funds that will allow for continued
improvements, specifically in the removal of
blight and improvement of infrastructure.
In early 2018, Cherepko set out to gain
the upper hand in McKeesport’s battle
with blight by demolishing more than 150
structures in the first phase of what will
be “The McKeesport Rising Project.” That
number quickly grew to the placement
of 300 blighted structures on demolition
contracts by the end of that year. Now
in 2019, an additional 150 have been
condemned.
“McKeesport Rising is a robust plan to
reduce blight, improve roads, reinforce
safety, and boost our economy,” Cherepko
said. “It is no secret that blight can have a
detrimental impact on the quality of life in
any community. Blight not only disheartens
residents and brings down the community’s
collective morale, but it actually breeds
crime.”
McKeesport’s primary focus for public
safety is the prevention of crime through
intelligent policing, collaboration with other
agencies, and making sure local police have
critical resources.
McKeesport police have partnered
with Allegheny County District Attorney
Stephen A. Zappala Jr. to surveil and track
crime moving throughout the Mon Valley,
with nearly one hundred crime-prevention
cameras installed in 2018.
As the McKeesport Rising Project
continues, Cherepko said his administration
continuously will work to find new
development initiatives – business,
residential, recreation – that will make our
efforts worthwhile. The mayor encourages
residents to reflect on the image of the
phoenix as the community envisions a
proud, revitalized McKeesport bouncing
back from a plethora of hardships. Soon,
McKeesport Rising signage will be placed
on each of the lots where a dilapidated
structure has been demolished.
MCKEESPORT AREA
❘
SPRING 2019
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