Minersville Leaders Discuss Fight Against Blight
On November 14, the Pottsville Republican Herald published an article covering a Minersville, PA borough meeting where local leaders discussed the creation of a landbank as one of the ways to stop and eliminate blight.
Minersville leaders discuss fight against blight
On November 14, the Pottsville Republican Herald published an article covering a Minersville, PA borough meeting where local leaders discussed the creation of a landbank as one of the ways to stop and eliminate blight.
Minersville leaders discuss fight against blight
MINERSVILLE — Legislative and local leaders told borough residents to remain vigilant in the fight against blight during a meeting Thursday at Minersville Fire and Rescue.
“Fight back. Don’t give up,” state Sen. David Argall, R-29, said.
Argall said people in the borough should not have to tolerate blight.
“It’s a cancer and you’ve seen it. It can spread and spread and spread,” he said.
Borough Manager Bobby Mahalchick said 204 citations have been issued in the borough for quality of life or property maintenance issues since Code Enforcement Officer Kyle Crouse started working in April 2013. In addition to citations, 174 quality of life tickets and 358 property maintenance letters were given. He added that 106 properties were condemned as unfit for human occupation and 13 blighted properties were demolished over the past 10 years.
“I’m not going to stand here and tell you its easy because it’s not,” Argall said about dealing with blight.
Argall said blight is a problem throughout the county and beyond.
“I don’t know any community that doesn’t have any blight,” he said.
Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, said he once lived next to a blighted area and went through legal means to have the issue resolved.
“I know if you live next to one of these properties that it seems like you are crawling along,” he said of the lengthy process. “… We can pass all the laws we want but it comes down to enforcement.”
To help deal with blight, Goodman suggested a land bank be established at the county level.
A land bank, according to Smart Growth America, is a national organization that advocates for efforts at smart growth practices.
“Land banks are public authorities created to acquire, hold, manage and develop vacant properties. Land banks aim to convert vacant properties that have been neglected by the open market into productive use, thereby transforming neighborhood liabilities into assets,” according to Smart Growth America’s official website.
Though enforcement and management of blight is a step in the right direction, the process can be difficult because “blight and crime go together,” District Attorney Christine Holman said.
If a neighborhood has more than one blighted property, it can become an area for drug deals and places of drug use, she said.
One woman, who declined to give her name, said a property on Spruce Street is in disrepair and is blighted.
“The roof is about ready to fall off the front,” she said, adding the porch and the foundation are also in bad shape.
Crouse said he was aware of the property and the owner has been informed. The woman said she understands the house is going into foreclosure.
Crouse said he and borough police Chief Michael Combs have been working on a blight list.
The list presently has 35 vacant properties on it, which will eventually be narrowed to between 10 and 20.
“We should have it for the December council meeting,” Crouse said.
The next borough council meeting is 7 p.m. Dec. 9.
Carol McCloskey, and her husband, Gary McCloskey, both 69 and of Minersville, said the blight meeting was informative.
Carol said she wants those with blighted properties to “clean it up. Take care of the property.”
Please click here to view the article online.
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