A Coaldale property owner won his appeal to have the assessment reduced on a property he recently purchased after a hearing held recently before the Schuylkill County Assessments Appeal Board in the courthouse in Pottsville.

Daniel A. Dunn, of 30 Greenwood St., Coaldale, appealed the assessment on the property at 256 Fifth St., Coaldale. He produced documents showing the board he purchased the property for $13,000 and was going to gut it. The board reduced the market value of the property from $33,900 to $10,380 and the assessment of $16,950 to $5,190, a reduction of $11,760 in assessment.Minersville Area School District appealed the assessment of 19 properties located within the boundaries of the school district claiming they were under assessed. The board increased the assessment of 14 properties and made no changes on five properties. The district was able to add $205,505 to the assessed valuation of properties for the tax year 2010.Tax exemptions were granted for two public properties. Mahanoy Township received an exemption on 1.23 acres of land located along the northeast intersection of Park Place and High Roads in the village of Park Place. The tract of land was donated to the township by Pagnotti Enterprises Inc. and is being converted into a public playground. The land carried a market value of $41,540 and was assessed at $20,770.Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, of Kempton, received an exemption an a tract of land containing 2.7 acres located in West Brunswick Township. The tract is open space and is used for sanctuary purposes. It had a market value of $48,660 and was assessed at $24,330.