Two vacant landmark buildings in Lansford came up at a public safety committee, as one is a hazard with a broken glass door and the other’s roof collapsed three stories to the basement.

Councilman Joe Butrie pointed to social media posts showing people entering the former middle School building on Patterson Street, which has broken glass doors.

He talked to the code officer, and someone suggested having the borough workers board it up, but Butrie was wary of doing so without knowing whether someone was inside, Butrie said.

“I want police officers to walk through that building to make sure,” he said.

Mayor Denise Leibensperger said that she spoke with Officer Matt Houser, who she said she does not want to enter the building, to sound a horn to alert anyone that may be inside to come out within 30 minutes.

“If nobody comes out, then you’re to board it up,” she said.

Butrie said that any cost to board up the building will be passed on to the building’s owner. Councilman Jack Soberick, who chairs the committee, agreed.

A resident pointed out that building, which has been vacant for decades, is up for sale with a list price of $895,000.

Last year, Councilwoman Michele Bartek floated the idea of saving the former school and using it as a police station and borough offices, pointing to two federal grants to tear down or rehabilitate old buildings.

Butrie did talk to code and zoning regarding violations on the middle school building, he said.

Soberick pointed to another landmark, the former Silver Furniture building at 18-20 E. Ridge St. He asked council President Joe Genits about a collapse inside the towering structure in the borough’s business district.

Genits, along with the code and zoning officer, met the new owner at the building recently, and they could only go 2 feet past the front door, he said.

“The entire building is collapsed three stories down from the top on down into the basement,” Genits said. “You can’t go more than 3 feet in there, because all the lumber is all in pieces and all different ways.”

The owner agreed to get a demolition permit at his cost, Genits said, but he doesn’t know when that will happen. ARRO Engineering and the zoning officer may have to push the issue with violations and fines, he said.

“He’s supposed to apply for a demolition permit; if he doesn’t, then we pick up and continue as was done before,” Genits said. “But it’s a time-consuming task. I’m hoping he cooperates.”