Squirrel Hill residents await cleanup of fire debris at Poli's site

June 28--More than a month after a May 14 fire sent smoke billowing into the skies over Pittsburgh, the southeastern corner of Forbes and Murray avenues still looks like a Predator drone struck it. The site once housed the landmark Squirrel Hill restaurant Poli's and a nearby two-story brick structure. For weeks it's featured twisted girders, chunks of masonry and shattered glass.

And while one of the site's owners says cleanup will begin next week on part of the fenced-in lot, patience has been running thin.

"It's an eyesore," acknowledged city Councilman Corey O'Connor, who represents the neighborhood. "This is the gateway to Squirrel Hill, and we don't like it looking that way."

Poli's closed in 2005, and the neighboring structure was vacant well before last month's fire. After the blaze, the city tore down the structures for safety reasons.

"It looks like those mountaintop-mining sites," said Erika Kreisman, a criminal defense lawyer who lives nearby.

The work of removing that debris should begin next week, though for now the cleanup will be limited to where Poli's once stood.

ACTION-Housing purchased the Poli's site in 2013, and Linda Metropulos, its director of housing and neighborhood development, says work clearing the site will start next week.

In conjunction with Jewish Residential Services, ACTION-Housing plans to develop the land with affordable housing, offices, and a support center for people with mental illness. It intended to demolish the Poli's building later this year, using a $250,000 county grant.

The fire accelerated that timetable, but Ms. Metropulos said "there are all sorts of conditions for the release of that money. We've been trying to either meet those or get waivers." The county signed off on those efforts Friday, she said, allowing work to begin this week. Clearing the debris would likely take "a couple of weeks" she said.

Complicating the work is the presence of asbestos, which can cause cancer when inhaled. Jim Thompson, the county Health Department's deputy director of environmental health, said the mineral appears in pipe insulation and building tiles. But because the pipes are underground, and asbestos encased in tile poses little risk, Mr. Thompson said, "the health risk is minimal."

Clearing the site, he said, will require safety procedures like spraying water to keep down dust.

In any case, ACTION doesn't own the portion of the site facing the corner of Murray and Forward, which previously housed a karate studio and pizza shop, among other tenants. The timetable for clearing that parcel, where the fire is believed to have started, is less clear.

Since 2000, the parcel has been owned by Alderson-Forward Properties LLC, whose managing member is Edward Krifcher. Mr. Krifcher was out of town: His office directed calls to Equity Real Estate Services, which manages the Squirrel Hill property.

Equity owner/broker Jerry Speer said he hopes clearance will begin soon, but added "there are things in the way."

Among them, said Mr. Speer, is the difficulty of determining a fire's cause once a building is demolished. "That delayed some of the insurance issues."

Sonya Toler, the city's Public Safety spokeswoman, said the fire's cause has not been determined. She could not predict when it would be.

"I think we'll be able to move in short order -- my hope would be within a matter of weeks," Mr. Speer said.

It couldn't come soon enough for some, including the head of a neighborhood group.

The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition "has lost its patience," said board president Raymond Baum. Alderson-Forward "have been sitting on this property for years. It's a blighting influence. The fire just proves that it's dangerous to have empty buildings there."

"Ray doesn't have a clue what he's talking about," Mr. Speer said. "These property owners are doing everything they can." The coalition, he said, could buy the property so Mr Baum could "do whatever he wants with it."

An Alderson-Forward representative recently said that sales talks were ongoing with a "strong local developer." A 2008 development proposal envisioned a $50 million mixed-use development called "Forward Square." Had it not been for a punishing national recession, Mr. Speer said, "We'd have a beautiful hotel and condominiums there."

"Nobody has done anything wrong," he said. "It's just a series of events that have gone badly."

Some neighbors, in fact, say the fire isn't the worst thing that could have happened, and may even rekindle developers' interest.

"The rubble looks a mess," said Paul Ianni, a tailor whose shop is near the fire site. "But believe it or not, it looks better now. Now you get a bit of a view."

Chris Potter: cpotter@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2533.

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