Charleroi Council revokes landlord licenses on blighted properties
CHARLEROI – Charleroi Council voted Thursday to revoke two landlord licenses on nuisance properties as it attempts to address blight in the borough.
Licenses were revoked for properties at 405 Lookout Ave., owned by Olympus Investment Trust of Hallandale, Fla., and 337 Washington Ave., owned by Matthew R. Schon Jr. of Carnegie.
In addition, 14 properties were cited for having boarded-up windows. Borough ordinance states an owner of a structure, including a vacant structure, must keep doors, windows and openings or other areas in good repair and ensure that they are securely locked or otherwise secured. Sealing a property with boards or other materials does not meet the ordinance.
Council President Jerry Jericho said these measures are showing borough council is serious about addressing the problem.
“We are not going to let these people get away with not keeping these properties fixed up in our town,” he said. Jericho added that absentee landlords have become a real problem in the borough, and officials have a hard time contacting them to fix code violations. “This is the first time we have revoked licenses,” he said.
In other business, a crossing signal at Fifth Street and McKean Avenue is leaning into a light pole, causing a possible hazard. Repair cost is estimated at $6,987. Councilman Larry Celaschi said the $6 million grant for the traffic signals from the federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant the borough received will not be available for about 18 months, but he requested emergency funding.
“We should know in about a week if we can get emergency funding,” said Celaschi. Council decided to wait to make a decision until that determination is made.