MAHANOY CITY - The borough has been holding open-door idea sessions for several months to allow residents to share ideas and complaints on any borough issues, with future meetings to focus on specific topics.
The last idea session was held on June 25 and the discussion was raised at last week's meeting of the Mahanoy City borough council by resident Robyn Sincavage, who regularly attends council meetings and has provided ideas to deal with problem areas in the borough.
"There was an open-door session of the focus community group interested in helping to revive the community and we had some questions for the mayor, council, police and other borough officials, documented them and we asked Dan Lynch to share them with you and the other appropriate people," Sincavage said to Lynch, borough manager. "We also asked that they have a response for the meeting today. Are the responses ready?"
"I don't have the responses here," Lynch said. "I've shared them."
"I was at the meeting and attended not as a council member but as a supporter and a taxpayer," council Vice President Raymond Cavenas said. "I didn't know if you wanted them to be addressed. We did talk about them. There were some things we talked about, Robyn."
Cavenas said there were a number of issues on a list, including the use of barbecue grills.
"One was possibly having an ordinance of where can you have a grill on a structure," Cavenas said. "We discussed that and we (council) are looking at it. Can you have it on your deck? Is that part of the structure of your house? How far away should you have it from a house?"
"I thought it would give everybody a chance to get together and have a consortium in their groups and just discuss the concerns - and come up with answers that could be shared with people who have concerns and open up some dialogue," Sincavage said.
Lynch said that shortly after the last session, there was a meeting with police Chief John C. Kaczmarczyk, Code Enforcement Officer/Health Officer William F. Killian III, and streets foreman Robert M. King.
"We had talked the next day, and now every time I have one of these sessions, we'll have something specific," Lynch said. "Next time, it will be about streets and Bob will be there. Then we'll have an open door for police and then an open door on code. They're always opened to anything."
Lynch said that the questions were distributed to the department in question, but he planned to have the answers discussed at the open-door sessions instead of writing them.
"I know one was on bulk items for trash," Killian said. "That's pretty much on the bills and changes as the schedule changes, but if we want to do a flyer, I don't see a problem with that. Yes, I do give out quality of life tickets if they don't obey with the bags."
"This way we can get the answers and move on," Sincavage said.
"We had also talked about condemning homes because that was a question asked," Cavenas said.
"You never do condemnation unless you absolutely have to," Councilwoman Patti Schnitzius said. "Once the borough puts a condemnation notice on a building, the borough takes all the responsibility and liability for that issue. That's a last effort. We put 'unfit for human habitation' and that's what's used in lieu of condemnation because it's perceived differently as to a lawsuit."
"In order for me to put that sign on there," Killian said, "the landlord or the homeowner has to be written a notice of violation as to why it's like that. He would be put on the clock with a certain amount of days to fix that problem. If not, from that day forward we cite them."
"We're going to start to have the same sessions, but with a focus on each department each time," Lynch said to Sincavage.
Cavenas said that the sessions are driven by the residents, not the borough council.
"I don't have all the answers," Cavenas said.
"I think once these questions are answered, maybe more people will come out and be proactive and more involved," Sincavage said.
Resident Diane Blozousky said, "You want to be proud of Mahanoy City? You people have to come out to help. Not council."
The next open-door session will be held at 7 p.m. July 30 in borough hall.
"As always, any ideas or questions are free game," Lynch said.
Another complaint was raised by resident Sarah Devine about large trees along a section of East Railroad Street on the right-of-way for the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad.
"Have you heard back from the railroad about the trees?" Devine asked of Lynch. "The trees have never been cut. I'm here to tell you I'm going to sue the borough and the railroad when they land in my kitchen and back bedroom."
"We don't have an ordinance on the maintenance of trees and it's on their property," Lynch said.
"I told the borough for years that you need to keep on the railroad," Devine said. "If they don't answer you, then you keep calling. Persistence. I've been persistent for five years and still don't have an answer."
"And they (railroad) told us to take them to court," Lynch said. "The guy literally looked at me and said, 'You will not make us do anything we don't want to do.' Those are the words that he used. We were told by them that they were going to cut them."
"Then just keep calling them," Devine said.