NEW CASTLE Home-moving plan delayed

The group is worried that bad weather will prevent moving the homes before April 1.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The planning involved in moving four houses might take a little longer than expected.
The Greater New Castle Development Corp. has been working for the past month to pull together financing, property acquisitions and the logistics of moving four large homes, said Charles Mansell, attorney for the group.
It might not meet the April 1 deadline, however, to move the houses set by school board members, he said.
"The only thing that makes me nervous, if we don't get decent spring weather, we can't do foundations. That could cause us to where we might request an extension," he said.
The New Castle Area School District had planned to raze the homes to make room for a new high school, but decided to sell them to anyone who could move them by April 1.
Business district: The Greater New Castle Development Corp., a nonprofit economic development group, wants to move four of the largest homes set for demolition to Grant Street and create a cul-de-sac business district.
Mansell said there are two groups interested in purchasing the houses for business purposes after they are moved.
The development corporation must first decide by Nov. 30 if it will move the houses or abandon the project.
Negotiations: Mansell said the development corporation needs that time to negotiate with property owners on Grant Street, where the homes will be moved. He said three of the five home owners have agreed to sell to the corporation. Others are still negotiating. Other agreements with people who own vacant property on Grant Street are contingent on the project moving forward, he said.
The development corporation has been working on several other areas of the project including the engineering and preparation needed to move the homes, financing and getting tax credits for historical restoration through the state, he said.
Schools Superintendent Joseph Martin said the school district would likely grant an extension if needed.