SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - State Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, and the Schuylkill County commissioners are inviting municipal officials to a seminar to talk about the latest tools to fight blight.
"Some communities have sections that are blighted. Others are only dealing with one or two properties that have gone unkept for a long period of time, and that drives down property values. It's just not a positive for communities," Tobash said Monday.
The blight summit will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at the R. Michael Fryer Conference Center at Penn State Schuylkill campus. While it's mainly for elected municipal officials, Tobash said the event is open to the public.
Tobash said Monday he and his staff are still arranging speakers. Those confirmed include state Sen. David Argall, R-29, who has an office in Pottsville.
On Jan. 1, Argall officially became chairman of the state Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee.
Tobash said he's a member of that committee and blight and revitalization are two of its primary concerns.
In 2011, Argall, a Tamaqua native, pushed for the approval of the Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act. It went into effect in 2011. It allows municipalities to take legal action against owners of deteriorating and nuisance properties.
At the event, Argall will speak on "future consideration of blight management legislation," Tobash said.
Thomas A. Palamar, administrator for the City of Pottsville, said Monday he will talk about the city's new Quality of Life ordinance, which city council approved in September, and the city's new code enforcement ticketing program.
Cindy Daly, the policy director for the Housing Alliance of PA, Harrisburg, will talk about new tools to address blight, Tobash said.
Other speakers confirmed as of Monday included Gary Bender, Schuylkill County grant administrator; Anthony Merklinger, senior code official at Alfred Benesch & Co., Pottsville; and Ed Brennan, an attorney from Pottsville, who will speak on conservatorship, Tobash said.
"We're also making an effort to have a district magistrate there. We want to try to give officials a real-world perspective on the way things work," Tobash said.
Earlier this year, municipalities across the county, including Mahanoy City, Pottsville and Shenandoah, have approved Quality of Life ordinances in an effort to stop the deterioration of their housing stock. Those municipalities found their inspiration in an effort made by the City of Reading, Berks County, in February 2011.
Reading's Quality of Life ordinance allowed the city to ticket property owners on the spot for violations like high weeds or grass or scattered rubbish. Its ordinance includes 23 violations, according to readingpa.gov.
In April, Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reiley made an effort to eliminate blight in the city and established the Pottsville Blight and Nuisance Task Force, a team of city officials and community representatives.
On Sept. 10, the City of Pottsville gave final approval to Ordinance 820, giving public officers the power to issue tickets for 16 code enforcement violations.
The task force's first meeting of 2013 will be held 9 a.m. today at City Hall.
