The Kline Township supervisors took their attorney's advice and agreed Monday to remove a trailer the township found to be in violation of its dangerous structure ordinance.
The trailer is situated on property owned by Patricia I. Boyke, who lives with her father, John Boyke, at 32 Bruno Ave.
A public hearing was held Jan. 30 on the matter after the supervisors received complaints about the trailer at their Nov. 14 meeting. Residents attending the meeting said the trailer presented a danger and that it was not in the public's interest and safety to allow it to remain on the property.
Kline Township had the property inspected by a certified code enforcement officer, Glenn Everett, who testified at the hearing on Jan. 30 that he found the trailer to be in violation of the dangerous structure ordinance.
Everett said he conducted an outside inspection only and found that the trailer was not properly anchored to the ground, there were no public water or sewer connections and that it was not safe for humans to live in. He recommended the trailer be removed from the property.
On solicitor Mark Semanchik's recommendation, board of supervisors Chairman Carmen Cara made a motion to remove the trailer; the motion was seconded by Supervisor Francis Patton.
When Cara asked if there were any questions on the motion, David Faust, who said he was speaking on behalf of the owner of the property, Patricia I. Boyke, said the trailer was never a home and that it was not occupied for several years.
"No one is living in the trailer," Faust said.
Semanchik said it did not matter if the trailer was occupied and that his recommendation was based on the evidence presented at the public hearing. That evidence, he said, shows the trailer violates the ordinance and must be removed from the property, which the supervisors approved on a 3-0 vote.
Their action is based on the trailer posing a danger to the life, safety and health of township residents, according to Semanchik.
Boyke has 30 days to appeal the supervisors' decision to Schuylkill County Court, Semanchik said. If she does not appeal, the township will remove the trailer. The supervisors also:
- Changed, by resolution, the cost of its public hearing fee from $350 to $500. They said the township was losing money under the old fees.
- Appointed Dale Wesner, McAdoo Heights to replace Steve Sheer on the KBM Regional Authority board. Sheer was named township tax collector after Mike Notaro resigned due to health reasons in December, and cannot hold both positions.