A church that has conducted spring cleanups in its neighborhood for a decade is expanding its effort this year, following up on an expansion of that effort last year. Overflow Church at 127 Fifth Ave. is hoping for about 100 volunteers to work in that general neighborhood between 4 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays, cleaning up […]
In its continuing effort to deal with blight, City Council Monday discussed potential ordinance adjustments that would give the codes department additional leverage with landlords and the owners of vacant buildings. Those possible revisions would require repeat offenders including those who live out of town to appear in person to deal with ongoing […]
As most people who closely follow Altoona- and Blair County-related news reports know, blight is an on-again, off-again topic. The topic will surface and stay in the spotlight for days or weeks, then retreat while some other issue or issues take center stage. But the topic’s eventual re-emergence from a hibernation-like existence usually delivers the […]
City Council Monday awarded a $149,000 contract for work that includes demolition of four “towers” along 10th Avenue expressway that led to stairways that provided access to a pair of long-shuttered pedestrian underpasses. One set of towers straddles the expressway between the Green Avenue and 11th Street housing projects for seniors, while the other set […]
The Gable’s building tenant who last week criticized the city’s handling of its recent condemnation of the building after three sprinkler heads broke intends to file a formal complaint with the state about the city’s alleged adversarial approach. Trust was lost and communication soured when a city official wouldn’t commit to a needed grace period […]