In the style of talk-show host David Letterman, City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar rattled off a Top 10 list at the city council's June meeting Monday.
Unlike the lists on "The Late Show" on CBS, however, this one wasn't intended to be funny.
"I think all of us know what blight is. It's a condition that poses a threat to the health and safety of the community," Palamar said before a crowd of more than 20 gathered at the meeting in council chambers on the second floor of City Hall. "What drives us crazy here is not only does it create a lot of problems and complaints but it decreases property values, decreases community investment and reduces the quality of life for all of us."
That said, Palamar hosted a slide show developed by members of the Pottsville Blight and Nuisance Task Force, which was developed by Mayor John D.W. Reiley in April 2012.
Since then, the task force has developed an inventory of 361 properties to date, taking suggestions from the police, city officials and the public.
"Properties can be added to the list at any time," Palamar said.
Task force members, including Donald J. Chescavage, city code enforcement officer, visited all of the properties and rated them.
The highlight of Monday night's presentation was the unveiling of "The Top 10 Worst" and the properties' owners, with the worst being No. 1:
10. 602 W. Arch St., Mike Beers, owner
9. 556-558 Peacock St., James and Christina Stepen
8. 124 S. Third St., Robert Truck
7. 317 N. George St., William Lucabaugh
6. 1950 Mahantongo St., William Winlack
5. 456 Nichols St., Lisa Phillip as custodian
4. 303 N. Ninth St., Garage Flex LLC
3. 407 Laurel Blvd., Apt. & Acquisitions
2. 446 E. Market St., Talala M. Rajha
1. 674 N. Second St., Said Attalla.
"This property is abysmal," Palamar said of the top worst property.
It's a vacant row home sustaining constant damage from exposure because its front door is broken off its hinges.
"As you can see, the porch is pretty much non-existent," Palamar said. "The door was kicked in but beyond the door there was so much collapse that you couldn't get beyond it to even secure it."
Attalla is from Mississauga, Canada, a spokeswoman from the Schuylkill County Tax Claim Bureau said previously.
The task force rated all the properties it visited, grading their exteriors, roofs, windows and doors a on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst. The property at 674 N. Second St., for example, had an overall rating of 4.89, Palamar said.
The task force is planning to address each property on its list in a three-step process:
- Phase 1 - Property owners with a rating over four will be formally notified of the status of their property. Notification will include a timeline for owners to contact the city to discuss corrective measures. Notification will progress in batches.
- Phase 2 - A corrective action plan will be developed for each property. At this point, the focus of the blight task force will transition from property assessment to problem resolution.
- Phase 3 - Monitor progress of corrective action plans and follow up as necessary.
Enforcement tools the blight task force has at its disposal include property maintenance codes, its nuisance property ordinance, the state Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act and the city's own "Quality of Life" ordinance, which it adopted Sept. 10.
"We've issued about 140 Quality of Life tickets so far," Palamar said.
The task force closed the presentation with a quote from Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy: "All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity."
In other matters, the council took action on numerous matters Monday. Actions included:
- Bought new computer software for City Hall computers from Edmunds & Associates Inc. at a cost of $47,076.
- Appointed Caitlin M. Reiley-Goodman, Pottsville, a 2013 graduate of Pottsville Area High School and a granddaughter of Reiley, to the temporary position of summer intern in City Hall at a rate of $7.25 per hour.
- Approved Ordinance 827, Bill 5/2013, amending the codified ordinances of the City of Pottsville, Chapter 180, will give the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority the right to enter any site or building in the city to do inspections to comply with local, state or federal regulations.