CLEARFIELD- A long-neglected property in First Ward kicked of Thursday night’s Clearfield Borough Council Meeting.
Resident Rodney Bowers presented council with pictures of the property in question on West Second Avenue. He said the problems there are numerous, including junk vehicles, a collapsed structure, debris and so on. One of the vehicles has an inspection sticker from 1995. The structure in question has three standing walls with one wall and the roof collapsed in.
Bowers said it has been a problem for many years and he spoke with Code Enforcement Officer Larry Mack, who gave him copies of portions of the relevant ordinance and said no citations have been served on the property in the past 10 years, which is how long Mack has been the code officer for the borough.
Council member and First Ward representative Steve Harmic said he spoke with Bowers about the issue and also spoke with Borough Manager Leslie Stott, who spoke with the property owners who said they were intending to do some work. Bowers agreed that there had been a change, that some grass had been mowed.
Bowers read some of the penalties from the ordinance, including a fine of $25-$100 per day and, if nothing is done in a set amount of time, 5 to 30 days in jail. If the structure is condemned and posted and the owner given a timeline to remove, and the work hasn’t been done, the borough can hire a contractor and put a lien on the property.
He said Clearfield is a wonderful town with many assets, including the friendly people, beautiful downtown, the river, surrounding countryside, “But here’s an eyesore,” he said, “I’m here to get that corrected.” He promised to return to the July council meeting to learn what progress has been made.
Council discussed several items on the agenda.
Solicitor F. Cortez “Chip” Bell said he had been doing research to update the borough sewer inspection ordinance and, with the help of Manager John Williams from Clearfield Municipal Authority found that the borough’s most recent ordinance adopted CMA’s standards, which, among other things, gives the borough officials ability to enter properties for inspection, observation, and so on. He said the current ordinance will allow the new sewer inspector to do his job, “So we can show we are ahead of the ball game,” he said in regards to the state Department of Environmental Protection eventually insisting on the closing of the Combined Sewer Overflow near Buck’s Pizza.
After an executive session lasting over an hour the council voted to hire William Armstrong as part of the street crew, primarily for sewer inspection, effective July 2. He will be paid the truck driver rate of $20.26, though for the first year he’ll receive 85 percent at $17.22. Stott explained that after one year his pay would be raised to 90 percent, and then 95 percent after the next year and finally 100 percent after three years. There was one vote against from council member Heather Bozovich. Council member Brian Lytle was absent.
Street Foreman Todd Kling asked council to remind residents that the borough does offer recycling of brown, green and clear glass, bi-metals and aluminum as well as newspapers and loose paper. No cardboard or plastic and no plate glass, mirrors, fluorescent glass or glass blocks. The recycling center is located near the garage on Power Avenue and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Council also voted to proceed with closing and vacating a section of Williams Street. Bell noted they will need to advertise and hold a public hearing. They will need to remove obstructions such as the wall and cover with soil and then put the property up for bid. Stott said she’s had three people raise concerns about the proposed closure, including possible increased traffic on Weaver Street.
