SHAMOKIN - Four owners of blighted property were cited Wednesday by city police and another three owners were issued code violations.
The legal maneuvering is part of a concerted effort between Cpl. Bryan Primerano and Code Officer Rick Bozza to target owners of the most deteriorated properties in Shamokin and push them to fix them up or tear them down.
Bozza targets a blighted property and files three citations against the owner if no remedy is made. Primerano then files citations of his own, at least three, with the goal of convincing Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III to upgrade the violation from a summary offense to a misdemeanor charge. That potentially means larger fines with the possibility of jail time.
Bozza said 28 property owners have either been cited or are nearing citations since he and Primerano began working together. Three cases have gone to magisterial court and all three ended with guilty verdicts, he said.
Brenda E. Keller, 50, of 331 S. Rock St., Shamokin, was cited by Primerano for a nuisance violation. It follows three nuisance violations filed by Bozza within the past week.
Work admirable, debris unsightly
Keller owns 101-103 W. Montgomery St. The double home began to collapse in August. Last month, she and other volunteers tore the structure down themselves. While the labor was free, the cost to dispose the debris is not. She was hopeful people would salvage wood from the pile. A sizable portion of the debris was removed over the last week but much of it remains.
Next door neighbor Rose Bridgeford, of 109 W. Montgomery St., expressed frustration at the Nov. 13 meeting of city council. She repeated what she's said before: She admires Keller and her volunteers for taking initiative to demolish the structure, but the debris pile poses a danger and is just plain unsightly.
Larry Burda, 63, of Shamokin, was found guilty of 36 code violations last month for property deficiencies at 701-703 N. Shamokin St. He was cited again by Primerano for the same property after metal roofing blew onto Commerce Street. Bozza said the material wasn't fastened to the structure, rather, it had been weighted down with buckets.
Burda also has an obligation to remediate another structure on the same block, 717-719 N. Shamokin St., which was damaged by arson in September 2012. The rear had been collapsing and debris strewn about. Portions have since been torn off and disposed.
That property is condemned as is neighboring 721-723 N. Shamokin St., owned by Ray Gautam, 325 E. 41st St., Apt. 302, New York, N.Y. That structure also is in danger of collapse, Bozza said, adding that it has broken glass and is exposed to potential rodent and animal inhabitation. Gautam was issued a code violation by Bozza, his first.
Commerce Street
One block away at 625 E. Commerce St. sits a property collapsing from the inside out. Debris has fallen from the top floor to the first floor. Support beams are bending and a staircase has completely collapsed. The deterioration is easily visible through a large hole that has opened almost floor-to-ceiling on the Pearl Street side. A passerby could hypothetically walk right into the structure from the sidewalk. It appears in danger of immediate collapse.
It's owned by Jhoel Leonardo, of 13201 95th Ave., South Richmond Hill, Queens, N.Y. He was issued a citation by Primerano, his fourth since Oct. 31. Bozza had cited him three times between Oct. 21 and Oct. 31.
Mulberry Street
That's the same time frame and same number of citations - four by Primerano, three by Bozza - for which Ola A. Adedeji, no known permanent address, was cited for the condition of 204-206 W. Mulberry St., between Market and Coal streets.
Bozza said a side porch is in danger of collapsing and that interior floors have already collapsed. He estimated there is also 4 feet of standing water in the basement.
Other properties
Two other property owners were issued initial code violations by Bozza - Bradley Lee Defenberg, owner of 501 S. Grant St., and Adam Brooks, owner of 821 Mount Carmel St. (Route 61).
At Defenberg's property, Bozza said siding and roof shingles are falling off, that garbage is piling up and that the porch roof is in danger of collapsing.
A chimney is in danger of collapsing at Brooks' property, as is a brick wall on the south side of the building, Bozza said. Also, siding and shingles are falling off, windows are broken and exposed to potential animal inhabitation, and there are high weeds.
Should neither Defenberg nor Brooks address these issues they can expect to receive several more citations from both Bozza and Primerano.