The Carbon County Commissionersare advertising for bids for several Community Development Block Grant Projects, including the demolition of the former Lansford Elks building.

The motion passed 2-0, with Commissioner William O'Gurek abstaining from the vote due to conflict of interest."I'm happy to see that finally we will be putting the project out for the demolition of the former Lansford Elks building, and that's a long time coming," O'Gurek said. "Wayne, Tom and I, we have the interest of safety in Lansford on their main street, that's our concern. We allocated money for its demolition, and I'm hoping that maybe it could still come down this year."Located at 6 E. Ridge St, the building has been in particularly bad shape for years, and is practically falling in upon itself. Complaints have been made about health hazards, including mold.The undisclosed New York owner had never paid taxes on the structure, and it was turned over to the Tax Claim Bureau, where it was put up for sale twice. No bids were placed, and it was subsequently put into the county repository along with other sites that had not been purchased. While it is currently held in the repository, it is technically still in the possession of the property owner."It's unfortunate what happens in a community when you have absentee landlords or property owners that don't take responsibility for their properties," O'Gurek said. "We become the recipients of those properties, and we're now responsible for the demolition of those properties at the taxpayers' expense."Numerous obstacles pre-empted the project for the Carbon Commissioners, including photographic documentation, environmental reviews, and asbestos abatement statements. The position of the building itself makes for a problematic demolition."It's jeopardizing the structural integrity of the buildings that are up against it," Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said. "It's in the middle of a row, so we're taking out the middle of a bad place."Before the demolition can begin, Lansford will need to take ownership of the property, which will likely be accomplished through charging a nominal fee to cover unpaid taxes."It's partially fallen in the way it is now, so I'm hoping that we can get a good bid, since half of the demolition's already done," O'Gurek said, which drew laughter from the crowd.Lansford was previously labeled as an entitlement community, but after the 2010 census showed a population below 4,000 residents, the designation was dropped. This put the borough in a difficult situation, forcing them to compete for money against other county communities."It feels good when we're able to give these struggling communities this grant money," Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard "It's much-needed money. Lansford is certainly a struggling community over there, so it's money that's going to be put to good use."Other businessThe commissioners also acted on the following items:• A letter of agreement between the county and the Carbon County Action Committee for Human Services was approved, covering the administration of the Homeless Assistance Program for July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2017, in the amount of $27,359 per year.• A letter of agreement between the county and the Carbon County Action Committee concerning administration of the Human Services Development Fund Program was approved for July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, in the amount of $49,000.• The fiscal year 2016-2017 Juvenile Probation Services Grant-In-Aid Award notification/invoice under the 2012-2017 agreement for Juvenile Probation/Specialized Probation Services reimbursement for $69,300 was approved.