A Mickley Road home severely damaged when a huge sinkhole nearly swallowed the structure is not going to be razed as was expected.

Whitehall Township Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. confirmed the township was notified remediation work is underway in an effort to bring back the house to its original condition.

Located a stone’s throw north of Whitehall Mall, close to the Salvation Army store, the long-empty home over the last several years continues to bear the scars of the devastating incident.

A metal fence now surrounds the property to keep the public away from the site.

Huge boulders lifted up by heavy equipment are piled on the property. The house itself shows the exterior damage resulting from the sinkhole, which also ruined much of the interior. There is a possibility an addition of the house may have to be removed.

Hozza said the present owner is a private individual, who bought a Florida Avenue, Fullerton, home several years ago that also had sinkhole problems. Remediation work brought back that structure to again become a residential home.

The Mickley Road house was once the residence of the late Whitehall Township Executive Elizabeth “Betty” Buchmiller.

There were no injuries to anyone when the sinkhole developed.

Litigation issues have been resolved. The damage extended from the house, driveway and yard onto Mickley Road, where water piping and street damage had to be repaired.

This region is prone to sinkholes since limestone covers much of the Lehigh Valley.