Four years ago, when Steve and Tammy Harrison decided to move from Jim Thorpe and buy a house, they looked at several communities.

They chose Coaldale partly because the borough had a full-time police department and a well-staffed road crew."We chose it for what we saw as quality of life," Steve Harrison said. "People seemed to have pride in their properties and the town."We weren't here long when the council got rid of the full-time police and one of the full-time road crew workers," he added."When that happened, talking to people around town, it seemed that they were losing that feeling of pride."During a meeting last month, council members voted to restore the full-time police officer positions.It's a move the Harrisons favored; now they'd like to see council refocus on other issues in town, such as blighted properties.Since moving to town, the Harrisons have been a self-appointed cleanup crew for a string of abandoned properties on the 100-200 block of East Ridge Street.The glory days of the huge, three-story, multi-balconied buildings are long gone, as the structures now continually spew debris onto their dilapidated sidewalks.Resolutely, the Harrisons have been cutting weeds and sweeping up glass and shingle pieces for several years. During the council meeting Tuesday, they asked for action."As a borough, are we responsible if something happens to someone who goes into one of these unsafe structures?" Tammy Harrison asked."These buildings are just falling apart, and since they're not boarded up, people have been going in."Coaldale solicitor Mike Greek said that the safety and condition of the buildings is the responsibility of each owner."We don't have a liability on that. It's the responsibility of the person who owns the building," Greek said."We can send the code officer in there and file actions, but even if you get into court, the person (owner) doesn't have the money to fix it."Greek said that the process of filing complaints to the building owners is lengthy and complicated."It's not lack of trying on the borough's part," Greek said. "I've explained the process until I'm blue in the face, it just isn't easy."Gary Bender, director of the Office of Community Development and Central Services for Schuylkill County, said code enforcement and working to maintain standards in communities remains a big topic in Schuylkill County, Bender said.Bender said that properties become blighted for a variety of reasons."Some of the factors are the age of the housing stock throughout the county, because as with every home, older homes require constant upkeep, and things like siding and and roofs wear out and need attention," Bender said."We also have a declining population where people move or pass away and the house becomes vacant."In some instances there are inadequate code enforcement or lack of proper codes."Or there are cases where people are unable to pay taxes or the mortgage, or are simply unable to keep up with repairs; because of health or finances they can't do adequate maintenance," Bender said."First and foremost, you'll be keeping on top of local housing through adequate codes and code enforcement and learns its value in community planning," he said."It is quite evident that if a house is allowed to deteriorate, it affects the houses around it and the neighborhood in general.""Code enforcement should not be looked at as punishment, but serve as reminders to citizens of any deficiencies and assist them in complying," he said.