Slum Lord Ata Zandieh

http://standardspeaker.com/news/mahanoy-city-to-hire-consultant-1.1972008

Mahanoy City Borough Council moved forward during Tuesday’s meeting to study its operations and finances by hiring a consultant to do the review.

Council appointed the Pennsylvania Economy League (PEL) to do the review as part of the state’s Early Intervention Program (EIP). Requests for proposals were made to consultants by the borough and PEL’s submission was accepted.

The cost of PEL’s services is not to exceed $64,000 as outlined in the provisions of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development grant. The borough will receive 90 percent of the study cost from DCED, with the borough picking up the remaining 10 percent.

According to the DCED website, EIP offers a pre-emptive step for municipalities that, while not yet formally declared distressed.

EIP offers grants that can be used to fund costs associated with hiring an independent financial consultant to prepare a three- to five-year financial plan and management review of the municipality. The plan will outline financial, managerial and economic development strategies that the municipality can consider implementing to strengthen their financial capacity.

Borough Manager Daniel Lynch said last month that the consultant will look at historical revenues and expenses, give projections for the next five years and offer some ideas on how to address challenges and suggest unique things the borough can do that have not been previously considered.

Properties

In other business, police Chief John C. Kaczmarczyk reported on a court decision involving a property demolished by the borough.

He said Ata R. Zandieh, the owner of a structure at 739 E. Pine St. that was demolished by the borough, pleaded guilty to municipal housing avoidance and was ordered to pay judgment in the amount of $24,300 to the borough for restitution of the demolition costs.

Council rejected the following repository sale bids due to the bidder’s history of code issues in the borough.

BWH Properties LLC offered the following bids: 529 E. Mahanoy St., $1,049; 429 E. Mahanoy St., $954; 531 W. Pine St., $754; 27 W. Maple St., $879.

Council also rejected a repository sale bid of $200 from Hector Trinidad, Mahanoy City, on the property at 1013 W. Pine St. since the bid was under the $1,000 minimum.

A bid from James J. Rhoades on a property at 508 W. Centre St. was accepted even though it was under $1,000, since the property is marked for demolition only and will be demolished by the bidder.

jusalis@republicanherald.com

FRANK ANDRUSCAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO An fire-damaged building at 216 W. Spruce St., Mahanoy City, is abandoned. Borough police have charged the owner for ignoring a notice of violation.

• Ata Richard Zandieh, 32, of 210 Lewis St., Harrisburg, properties at 216 and 218 W. Spruce St.

FRANK ANDRUSCAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO A garage to the rear of 222 W. Mahanoy Ave., Mahanoy City, is falling into the street.

Mahanoy City property owners charged

BY FRANK ANDRUSCAVAGE
Published: March 6, 2015

MAHANOY CITY — Borough police have filed criminal charges against several property owners who ignored numerous warnings to bring buildings they own up to code.
Chief John Kaczmarczyk charged 12 people — nine with one misdemeanor charge each of public nuisance and recklessly endangering another person, and three others with a misdemeanor charge of public nuisance.
“These people were charged criminally after they repeatedly ignored letters and warnings off of the borough,” Kaczmarczyk said.
The chief said the charges against the 12 are the result of complaints received by the borough code enforcement officer. One case has been ongoing since 2009, another since 2011 and the remaining cases are from 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Kaczmarczyk said that after the complaints were investigated and the properties examined, a notice of violation was sent to the owner outlining the violations and allowing 30 days to correct the problems.
The violations for each property included failure to maintain a clean, safe and sanitary condition and for dangerous structures including partial collapses or other hazards to the general public, Kaczmarczyk said.
After failing to rectify the problems within the allocated 30 days, the chief said each property owner was issued a citation by the code enforcement officer through the office of Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah.
Again, Kaczmarczyk said no action was taken by the property owners, resulting in the borough to take matters to the next step. The cases were turned over to the police department, resulting in the filing of the criminal charges.
The nine charged with two offenses and the properties they own in the borough are:
• Robert S. Whitecavage, 61, of 110 E. Penn St., Shenandoah, a property at 513 W. Market St.
• Deborah Whitecavage, 47, of 110 E. Penn St., Shenandoah, a property at 513 W. Market St.

• John F. Scott, 45, of 1873 NE 206th Ave., Old Town, Florida, a property at 728 E. Market St.
• Heather A. Scott, 38, of 1873 NE 206th Ave., Old Town, Florida, a property at 728 E. Market St.
• Ann M. Rainis, 72, 521 W. Washington St., Frackville, a property at 523 E. Pine St.
• Miodrag B. Tirchi, 59, of 779 Lattimer Road, Box 67, Lattimer, a property at 701 E. Centre St.
• Lisa S. McMullin, 47, of Box 394, Meadowview, Virginia, a property at 20 E. South St.
• Ata Richard Zandieh, 32, of 210 Lewis St., Harrisburg, properties at 216 and 218 W. Spruce St.
• Aura I. Santiago, 46, of 313 E. Mine St., Hazleton, a property at 222 W. Mahanoy Ave.
Charged with a sole count of public nuisance were:
• Robert H. Collins, 39, of 38 Duck St., Girardville, a property at 81 S. Catawissa St.
• Elrena L. Gibson, 51, of 36 S. Hoffman Blvd., Ashland, a property at 1031 E. Pine St.
• Anisa L. Kane, 26, of 526 W. South St., Mahanoy City, a property at 421 W. Mahanoy Ave.
Each of those charged criminally will now have to answer those offenses before Kilker in his Shenandoah courtroom.