Anonymous $100K Donation to Help Demolish Buildings

  An anonymous donor has given $100,000 to the city of Huntington in order to assist with the demolition of blighted buildings.

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams announced during his State of the City address Tuesday that the donation will be matched with funds from the city’s capital budget.

Williams says the Unsafe Building Commission has identified 250 structures that need to be torn down and could soon add 500 more buildings on that list. He says the cost to demolish the buildings could be around $2.5 million.

An ordinance has also been adopted to register vacant buildings. If a building is vacant for 30 days, property owners will have to notify the city. If that property remains vacant for a year, the owner will be issued fees in order to cover city services.