MAHANOY CITY — The borough council Tuesday hired a contractor to knock down three blighted buildings.
“It’s sad,” Kate Nolan, 208 W. Spruce St., said Tuesday morning as she walked by two of them, 1313 and 1315 E. Mahanoy St.
She took note of the dormer situated right between them. It was sinking into the roof.
“It needs to be torn down,” Nolan said.
“We’re fearing it’s nearing the point where it’s going to collapse. It looks like it’s coming down in the middle, but you don’t want it to shoot out either,” Daniel L. Lynch, the borough manager, said Tuesday afternoon.
The third property the borough plans to tear down is 230 E. Mahanoy Ave.
“I don’t think there’s anything unique about the situation, other than the condition they’re in right now. They’re just deteriorated properties. And once water starts leaking in, it goes to work on it, it starts to buckle on the inside and that’s how you get to where we are now,” Lynch said.
The row home at 1313 E. Mahanoy St. is owned by Arnold E. Keller, Mahanoy City. He bought it in July 2011 for $200, according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.
The row home at 1315 E. Mahanoy St. is owned by Catherine Garon, Breinigsville. She bought it in April 2010 for $1,000, according to the parcel locator.
The home at 230 E. Mahanoy Ave. is owned by Randall A. Tyson, Gilberton. He became the owner in March 1993, according to the parcel locator.
There were two bidders for the project.
The council picked the low bidder, Mr. Z Contracting, Shenandoah. Mr. Z bid $24,000 to demolish 1313 and 1315 E. Mahanoy St. and $22,000 to take down 230 E. Mahanoy Ave.
The other bidder, Bill Davis Cement Contracting, Mahanoy City, bid $35,000 to take down 1313 and 1315 E. Mahanoy St. and $25,000 to demolish 230 E. Mahanoy Ave.
Council member Scott Kline made the motion to hire Mr. Z, contingent on a review of the bid documents by the borough solicitor and borough engineer. The motion was seconded by council member Louis Huber and, in a roll call vote, it was carried unanimously by all other members in attendance. They were council President Thom Maziekas, Vice President Francis P. Burke and members Diane Rachuck and Patricia C. Mullins.
Council member Thomas R. Flamini was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
“This money will come from our own funds for blight,” Lynch said.
Lynch said 2 mills of the real estate taxes collected for the borough are put into the Blight Fund.
“We will put a lien on those properties and if they’re ever sold, then we’ll get reimbursement in that manner,” borough solicitor, Michael A. O’Pake, an attorney with an office in Pottsville, said.
The council also took the following actions at Tuesday’s meeting:
• Approved no parking May 27 on Centre Street between Main and Catawissa, and Linden and Locust between Railroad and Market for Citizens Fire Company No. 2 annual car cruise.
• Hired Laura Biscoe as a part-time seasonal worker at $10 per hour starting May 10.
• Approved the order of a JCB mini excavator, contingent upon the award of a USDA Community Facilities grant.
• Approved the repository sale of 333-335 W. Spruce St. The owner is Ata R. Zandieh. The bidders are Phillip Scott and Oksana M. Sipe, Mahanoy City. The bid was $829 and included a letter outlining planned repairs.
• Approved Resolution 2017-5, allowing the borough to apply for up to $250,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority to be used for East End Park improvements.
In other matters, Lynch told the council he anticipates new initiatives will save the borough money on electric bills.
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