In the last year or so, I’ve been reading a lot about an ongoing problem with a blighted property in Lehighton.

In fact, last year, the site was one of a few across Carbon County that triggered some columns in this newspaper on dealing with blight.

And the situation at 135-139 N. First St. is a shining example of the indecision and inability of government officials to come to terms with a festering, fire-prone location that’s been a thorn in the side for borough and county government for at least 30 years.

For all those years, one might say all those efforts amounted to was a failed attempt at herding cats.

Not being familiar with the building’s past, I took some time to check out its history. For me, old newspaper accounts tell its story.

In its early days, around the turn of the last century, it housed grocery and meat markets. In the late 1930s and known as the Keystone Building, it was featured at a public sale to settle the estate of its owner. It hosted - off and on - various businesses that had various degrees of success. The apartments on its upper floors were home to countless folks and families over the years.

But the current problems probably started after a 1994 fire that damaged a restaurant housed in the structure.

A fire shortly after the millennium arrived significantly damaged the back of the building. Borough council considered razing the structure since code violations weren’t corrected. In 2003 the building was sold at auction after borough council gave the owner 90 days to repair the building, a deadline not met.

Another sale came in 2006, and the new owner, from New York state, planned to put 12 apartments upstairs and two commercial spaces on the ground floor. But the building was still not up to code.

A borough official said at the time the site needed plumbing and electrical work, adding it may have needed a sprinkler system.

Any work then would’ve needed zoning and construction permits.

County records show the site has changed hands three times since then, but the unimproved property still stands - barely.

Council and the county have been resolute, though, in their efforts to do something with the building.

For three years, for 2020 through 2022, the borough saved federal Community Development Block Grant funds totaling more than $267,000.

In January, county commissioners awarded a contract to demolish the site to Northeast Industrial Services of Shamokin to raze and clear the site at a bid price of $186,435.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein called the building a disaster waiting to happen. He’s all too familiar with the building’s shortcomings after responding to calls there as the borough’s fire chief years ago.

He said windows are missing, there are holes in the floor and the roof is caving in.

If there was a fire at the site these days, Nothstein said, firefighters wouldn’t enter the building. He said he feared the fate of adjoining buildings.

Officials expected demolition work to start Feb. 19.

Things were on their way to getting done when stopped by a paperwork problem, with the borough and the county at loggerheads over the issue.

Borough officials blamed the county for not completing paperwork. The county said the problem stemmed from the demolition firm not filling out the proper documents on time.

The snafu thickened when a local animal group decided to rescue feral felines that have called the dilapidated building home over the years.

As the 11th hour for demolition approached, animal rescuers dubbed the cat conundrum a crisis, adding to the twists and turns of fate that keep the building standing. Though their work has saved a few cats, it hasn’t actually delayed demolition. The need for those rescuers’ efforts have refocused attention on what blight can do to a community.

Buildings like the First Street property - though they may a temporary home for some feral mousers - are and have been a danger in and blemish on any municipality they’re in.

It’s truly unfortunate that the historical value of a building that old has faded to a shell of its former glory.

For property owners, taking some pride in their town can go far against blight anywhere. Keep grass cut and fix small problems before they become bigger ones.

For local governments, swift code enforcement and maybe a land bank can help.

For now, here’s hoping the wrecker’s ball swings smooth and swift and soon in Lehighton.

Otherwise, they’ll just keep herding cats.

ED SOCHA/tneditor@tnonline.com

ED SOCHA is a retired newspaper editor with more than 40 years’ experience in community journalism. Reach him at tneditor@tnonline.com.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.