Jun 19, 2018 3 min read

Charleroi wants to be proactive concerning the former Army Navy store at 426 Fallowfield Ave.

Councilman Larry Celaschi said the first step will be a drone inspection of the roof. “We need to know the condition of the roof. The owner has no idea what condition the roof is in,” said Celaschi.

Solicitor Steve Toprani recommended an engineering study of the property. He added the borough doesn’t want to be in the same situation as the city of Washington was with a major collapse.

“It is a public safety issue. We need to know if there is shifting or movement, which could pose a risk to adjacent buildings or residents,” Toprani said.

He added if the building needs to be demolished, the borough could take quick action by getting court approval for an emergency demolition and charging the property owner for the costs. Council passed a motion to have the borough engineer inspect the property, at a cost not to exceed $500.

Code enforcement officer Jason Sarver said he has filed more than 61 high-grass violation notices. Grass and weeds cannot be more than 10 inches high. He said the current approach of sending letters doesn’t seem to be working.

“By the time the due process gets moving with letters, citations and residents being taken to the magistrate, the season is over,” Sarver said.

He suggested the borough change the grass-cutting ordinance to use door-knocker placards instead of letters. The door-knocker placards would be similar to receiving a traffic ticket. It would be more immediate but also save the borough the cost of mailing letters, he said. Council authorized the solicitor to add the door-knocker placards in a new grass ordinance.

As part of a continuation of the cleanup of nuisance properties in the borough, a letter will be sent to the owner of the 204 Oakland Ave. property. Toprani said there have been more than two dozen emergency calls to 911 related to that property, and only one of those calls was for a medical emergency. Six calls were for domestic disputes involving people who live in the building, and there were 21 nuisance calls.

“Send them a letter and put the landlord on notice that their rental license will be revoked,” Toprani said.

Council President Jerry Jericho said the borough should discuss bringing the adult probation program back to the borough building. He said Charleroi Regional Police Chief Eric Porter requested the action.

The program was suspended about a year ago when members of the program were found to be roaming in unauthorized areas of the borough building. Jericho suggested the office be housed where the police station is, and there be access only to one room. Residents currently in the program have to travel to Donora. Jericho said more discussion will be needed on the subject to iron out parameters of the program.

The annual Community Day celebration June 29 and 30 will affect traffic in the borough. McKean Avenue will be shut down between Fourth and Sixth streets Friday, June 29, and between Fourth and Seventh streets Saturday, June 30. The closures will run from noon Friday to 8 a.m. Sunday.