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Blight remediation can’t come soon enough

On Monday, the Coaldale fire department was dispatched to 261 East High St. when a neighbor reported a collapse of the rear of a vacant building.

The building, already condemned, was already on the list for demolition. The borough purchased the building for $1 in April so it could be knocked down.

It will funded by the Schuylkill County demolition program.

On Tuesday, a contractor was working on a building in at 248-250 East Mauch Chunk St., Tamaqua when the exterior wall of the building came down on the sidewalk and street.

Neighbors posted on social media that the building was in bad shape before the work started.

The borough obtained an emergency permit to demolish it on Wednesday.

Blight is one of the biggest issues facing our local communities. With aging infrastructure, collapsing buildings and absent property owners, it’s a costly and unsightly problem that is unfortunately not going away anytime soon.

In the case of the Tamaqua structure, the borough will charge the building owner for the demolition.

Look around and you will see other properties in disrepair.

Not only are the properties unsightly, they are dangerous, especially to children who often can’t resist vacant structures.

People living next door to blighted properties may be exposed to dangerous toxins like mold, lead, and asbestos, which can increase the risk of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues.

These properties can attract stray animals such as the multitude of cats that lived in the now demolished property at 135-139 N. First Street in Lehighton.

These buildings can result in higher maintenance costs and a lower tax base because boroughs could have difficulty attracting businesses.

Municipalities are trying to prevent issues like the two incidents this week.

It’s not always easy.

Jim Thorpe was able to secure funds to demolish a home at 204 Center Ave.

The home was originally slated to be torn down using part of a combined $300,000 state grant the municipality partnered with Palmerton and Lehighton in 2021.

A memorandum from Barry Isett & Associates Inc. to the borough in 2018 outlined structural assessment concerns: a severe deterioration of the roof, siding, interior finishes, and structural elements due to long-term exposure to weather and lack of maintenance.

Specific issues include a “roof and roof deck collapsed and severely deteriorated, front porch roof and siding deteriorated with visible water stains, windows broken or displaced and framing rotted, organic growth and moisture damage throughout the interior, and structural elements like wood joists and foundations severely deteriorated.”

In February 2024 a reassessment said, “The condition of the property has worsened, confirming the need for prompt demolition to prevent further collapse.”

The problem is the crumbling structure is only half of the duplex. A family is living in the other half and that half needs to be stabilized.

The engineering cost alone is estimated to be between $17,000 and $30,000 in addition to the needed work.

The state allows the borough to go after the owner of the blighted property, attaching a negligent property owner’s personal assets if substantial violations are not corrected within six months of a housing code conviction.

That’s if the owner can be tracked down.

A new law signed last month gives Pennsylvania counties a tool to address blight.

Now, officials can apply a $250 fee to foreclosure sales to support a demolition and rehabilitation fund used to tackle blighted properties.

Senators David Argall, who chairs the Statewide Blight Task Force, and Rosemary M. Brown voted for the measure.

“Rundown and abandoned properties are a drain on local property values and erode the tax base,” said prime sponsor Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Monroeville. “This bill will help revitalize neighborhoods while reducing property taxes by shoring up property values.”

Carbon County has also set a $15 fee on deeds recorded to help address blight.

We applaud these measures and hope that enough funds become available before more structures collapse.

In our communities, blight is everyone’s problem.

Marta Gouger | MGOUGER@TNONLINE.COM