State officials to review housing rehab program

Contractors have been notified that they must make repairs.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has decided to do a complete review of the Shenango Township Housing Rehabilitation Program.
State Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-10th, received word of the review last week after meeting with DCED officials over complaints he's received from constituents about the program.
"It was a very positive meeting," LaGrotta said. "They were upset that these things had taken place. They were upset about their employees' role in it."
Last Sunday, The Vindicator chronicled complaints of residents who had problems after work was done through the program.
One of those affected, Sally DePrano of Cornell Avenue, said the township's program inspector, Rob Ratkovich, and Brian Tanner, the township secretary/treasurer, came to her home Thursday to look at water damage caused by leaks in a new roof that had been put on through the program.
Notifying contractor
She said Ratkovich and Tanner promised the plaster and other problems would be fixed. DePrano said they were sending a letter to the original contractor, Glorioso Construction of New Castle, notifying the company it had 10 days to fix the problems.
DePrano said they also talked about repairing the roof, but she told the township officials she wants another contractor to do the work.
"I told them it was expected and they said, 'We'll take care of you,'" she said.
Tanner and Ratkovich are also working with the second homeowner, Frances Suzow of Highview Drive, who had problems.
Suzow had said windows installed through the program were leaking air and one had fallen out when it was being cleaned. A new hot water heater installed had not been properly vented, and there were other problems with things installed in the home.
Tanner and Ratkovich visited the home immediately after being contacted by a Vindicator reporter. They told Suzow that they were sending the contractor on that job, Trover Construction, also of New Castle, a 10-day notice to make repairs.
"We will do whatever we need to do to correct the situation and satisfy the homeowners," Tanner said after meeting with Suzow.
LaGrotta said he's pleased with the action.
"Obviously its been a long time in coming. It should have been done a long time ago," he said.
"There's two different issues here. First, we've got to get the homes fixed. Second, we need to find out why it was so difficult to get to this point."
LaGrotta had said that when he first started receiving complaints from Shenango Township residents, he reported them to DCED. A DCED investigator contacted only one of three people who complained and then issued a report that looked at the program from 1998 to 2002, he said. All the complaints LaGrotta reported occurred after 2003.
cioffi@vindy.com