MOUNT CARMEL - The owner of the former Shamokin Dress Company building who was cited by the city several times since November pleaded guilty to 11 citations Wednesday for another building she owns in the borough.
Stella P. Alli, 51, of Fall River, Mass., was ordered by Magisterial District Judge Hugh Jones of Mount Carmel to take action to demolish the former Turner's Cafe at 248-250 W. Second St. within 60 days or face at least $1,100 in fines for an unsafe structure.
Borough code enforcement officer Robin Williams, who was in court for the case for 85 minutes Wednesday, said the borough and judge would rather see her use the money to tear the building down than to pay fines.
If she doesn't have a company contracted to tear it down within two months, the judge would start forcing her to pay the citations, Williams said.
"She's working with us to try to get this resolved," he said.
Bought for $100
Alli, a registered nurse, purchased the building, last owned by Robert Thurner , for $100 at a June 10 Northumberland County repository sale.
Williams sent a letter in September informing her the building violates borough ordinance and sent copies of the borough code to her.
She was cited for the first time Nov. 14, and received 10 more citations before she appeared in court Wednesday.
The three-story building is in rough shape, said Williams.
The second and third floor have collapsed into the first floor, causing the outside walls to bulge. The roof is also damaged and the sky can be seen through a window on the top floor.
Dress factory
Alli was cited 15 times for the Shamokin building's decrepit condition since November.
She informed the city she hopes to transform 1008-1010 N. Shamokin St., commonly referred to as Shroyers, into a nonprofit soup kitchen and affordable housing, she said it would take six months to clean the property and 24 to 36 months to begin repairs.
The timeline is unacceptable, Shamokin code officer Rick Bozza previously said.
She purchased it for $100 June 20 from the Northumberland County repository list. Citations followed four months later after no progress had been made to correct structural deficiencies.
Alli said in the letter to the city that she had run into difficulty obtaining paperwork on the building, including blueprints.
Wants to live there
Both buildings have been through county upset and judicial sales without any takers. They were moved to the repository list, which is available in the county administrative building and also online. A minimum bid is $100 and all bids are sealed. The bids were opened May 31 and the sales processed June 20.
Alli said in June that she envisions the Mount Carmel property as her residence.
She is scheduled to appear before Jones again on April 16 to update the judge on the borough property.