County officials and state Sen. David Argall, R-29, have set up two public meetings with community officials to discuss the ongoing battle to control blight.
Argall will host "Continuing the Fight on Blight Summit," slated for 6 p.m. April 30 at the Schuykill County Courthouse, Courtroom No. 1.
"In our ongoing efforts to deal with the blight problem, I am hosting another in a series of summits that bring us together to discuss common problems and work toward finding solutions," Argall said in a recent letter to officials.
Gary R. Bender, county director of community development, will host a two-hour "workshop" with panel discussions on the topic starting at 7 p.m. May 8 at Schuylkill County Courthouse, Courtroom No. 1.
"This workshop is aimed at both municipal officials and local property owners, as we seek common ground. Code enforcement need not be an ugly word. It is the last resort when individuals chose actions that result in blight," Bender said in a letter he sent to officials municipal officials this week.
In recent years, blight has become a regular topic of discussion for some municipalities and some, like the City of Pottsville, have established committees and new policies to deal with it.
There have also been special events similar to the one scheduled May 8. In January 2013, more than 70 municipal officials gathered at a "blight summit" at Penn State Schuylkill organized by state Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, and the Schuylkill County commissioners.
Summit
In a letter Argall sent to municipal leaders April 1, he summarized the goals of his April 30 event.
"The upcoming summit will focus on the real estate tax sale law and will include a breakdown of the process a property goes through once it is identified as delinquent," Argall said in the letter.
Speakers on the topic will include Glenn Roth, the solicitor for the Schuylkill County Tax Claim Bureau, Argall said.
"I believe it's important to understand this process since it plays a big role in the blight fight," Argall said.
Thomas A. Palamar, city administrator, will also speak, Jon Hopcraft, executive director of the state Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, said Thursday.
"Sen. Argall has hosted a handful of these events throughout the county, with at least one each year since he's arrived in the Senate. We have invited local elected officials, codes enforcement officers, police officers, among others in local governments who have an interest in learning more about this issue. The goal is to allow communities to learn about the tools available to them, hear about what other communities are doing and share their experiences," Hopcraft said.
Workshop
Bender has put together a collection of experts for his May 8 workshop.
"During this workshop we will hear speakers on code enforcement and how this differs from the Section 8 HQS inspection, why it is important to have local codes and simple things a community can do to let everyone know that there are community standards that must be upheld to avoid an enforcement action. Landlords can learn about screening and leasing to select tenants that are least likely to cause problems and create a public nuisance and where to get help if all else fails. Finally, the process of code enforcement that results in demolition will be explored," Bender said.
Bender said three panels of local experts will discuss ways communities can improve quality of life.
Panel 1, "Establishing community standards through code adoption, enforcement and marketing," will feature two speakers: Palamar and Kyle Kehoe, a building code official from Alfred Benesch & Co., Pottsville. It will be moderated by James J. Rhoades Jr., an environmental group manager for Alfred Benesch.
Panel 2, "Screening and leasing rental units in compliance with fair housing laws," will include four speakers: Frederick J. Fanelli, an attorney from Pottsville; Tim Hale, executive director of the Schuylkill County Housing Authority; Dan McGrory, director of the Schuylkill County Administrative Offices of Mental Health/Developmental Services and Drug and Alcohol Programs; and Jerry Achenbach, housing director for Service Access and Management Inc.
"Communities will better understand what landlords can do and where to find help with difficult tenants," Bender said.
Ted Dreisbach, executive director of Schuylkill Community Action, Pottsville, will moderate Panel 2.
Panel 3 will focus on "demolition," but it will also include information about "the code enforcement process that leads to conservatorship" and "the International Maintenance Code process," Bender said.
There will be two speakers: David Petravich, the building code officer for the City of Pottsville, and Edward M. Brennan, an attorney from Pottsville.
Bender will serve as moderator of Panel 3.