The subject of properties was a hot topic of discussion at Wednesday night's meeting of Tamaqua Borough Council. A property for sale, properties the borough wishes to sell and properties with blighted buildings that have been condemned all took up their own fair share of the meeting.

At the end of the meeting, council voted unanimously on a resolution to purchase the lot that formerly housed the Hosak Pontiac dealership, which was located on Center Street, Route 309 South. It was purchased from the Hosak family for a PennDOT bridge replacement project completed in 2011. That project replaced an unsound bridge over the Little Schuylkill River. The state demolished the dealership building and leveled the land, which was used when a temporary bridge was installed during the second phase of the two-year-long project.PennDOT no longer has a use for the property and has offered the borough first refusal. The fair market value has been assessed at $22,400. The resolution allows Borough President Micah Gursky and Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt the authority to enter into a sales agreement to purchase the property for the fair market value.Council didn't indicate their plans for the property's use.Properties for saleTwo borough-owned properties once deemed as "blighted" will be given new life. Both housed buildings that were demolished years ago and have sat as vacant lots ever since.The property at 234 Columbia St. had been advertised for sale by bid. There was only one bid to open and it was from Steve Matalavage, who owns an adjoining property. He indicated the property will be used for his masonry business, according to Steigerwalt. The winning purchase price was $100.Gursky said, "We sure don't make any money on our demolition program, but it's nice to see these properties being used again." Steigerwalt agreed, noting, "That's one less property the borough has to maintain."The second borough-owned property is at 319 Washington St. A neighbor has expressed interest in purchasing the vacant lot. When asked by Councilman Dave Mace if the interested party is the same person who was recently cited for dumping on the property, Steigerwalt answered "yes."Councilman Brian Connely wanted to know if it was possible to add a minimum bid amount "to at least allow us to recoup the cost of the advertising." Borough Solicitor Michael Greek said it was possible, but such a provision could mean no one bids on the property.Council approved advertising the sale, without a minimum bid.Blighted propertiesSteigerwalt updated council on the progress of this year's demolition program. "The demolition on Pitt Street is completed. Gay Street is underway and the three properties on Spruce Street should be started next week."The borough's demolition program is made possible through the use of Community Development Block Grant funds. The borough maintains a list of properties that are blighted enough to be demolished and is prioritizing that list for the 2015 CDBG program.