Pa. Chief Urges Consideration of 'Quality of Life' Issues

Dec. 12--PORT CARBON -- While giving his December report to the borough council Tuesday night, fire Chief Michael E. Welsh encouraged consideration of setting a "quality of life" goal for 2012.

"Are we doing anything with quality of life?" he asked.

Earlier this year, municipalities across the county, including Pottsville, the boroughs of Mahanoy City and Shenandoah and West Mahanoy Township, have geared up for a war to stop the deterioration of their housing stock. They've adopted new laws allowing them to issue code violations like traffic tickets are issued.

These new laws have become known as "quality of life" ordinances.

"A lot of other towns are doing it. With code violators, giving them a ticket and a fine, that's the only way these people listen," Welsh said.

Borough council President Harold "Bucky" Herndon and Councilman Ray Steranko said the council would look into it, but they had no further comment.

Welsh also encouraged the council to step up its code enforcement efforts.

"We need to get moving on apartment inspections. There are too many places that I feel should not be allowed to rent to the public," Welsh said, adding it's a code enforcement issue.

In June 2011, the council hired Lehigh Engineering LLC, Pottsville, to serve as its on-call code enforcement officer.

Council members, however, made no comment on Welsh's recommendation other than Herndon saying afterward it will be looked into.

After Welsh completed his report, police Chief Jon J. Bowman chimed in, saying he believes apartment inspections are a must. He referenced the Nov. 28 blaze at 233 Coal St. as an example.

That property is part of a duplex. It's connected to 231 Coal St. An electrical circuit overload at No. 233 set off the fire that destroyed both homes and left four people homeless.

"There was approximately $171,000 damage to the two buildings," Welsh said in his report.

While fighting the inferno, emergency responders discovered the second floor of No. 233 was secretly a marijuana growing-operation with more than 75 plants, Bowman said.

On Nov. 28, the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force charged the owner of No. 233, Dean Vermeersch, 53, with running the hydroponic marijuana operation.

Vermeersch remains in county prison on $50,000 bail, a prison spokesman said Tuesday night.

Vermeersch bought 233 Coal St. on March 30 from Dale J. Smith for $14,000, according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.

"Within two weeks of that date, he purchased the lumber to do the thing upstairs and he ordered a significant amount of equipment. Right out of his mouth, he said the house was purchased because of the price, which was $14,000. It was cheap," Bowman said.

Concerning other business, the council gave final approval to its 2013 budget, a $1,038,704.35 spending plan with no tax increase. The millage will remain at 12.149, or $12.14 for each $1,000 of assessed property.

In a related matter, Steranko, who heads the borough's finance committee, said the borough is still suffering as a result of the problems at Centax.

In July, the Schuylkill County Tax Collection Committee officially dropped the Central Tax Bureau of Pennsylvania as its local services tax collector. Centax was not processing tax bills in a timely manner, officials said. Since then, the committee hired Berkheimer Associates, Bangor, Northampton County, for the job.

"The LST and EIT are coming in, but we're still down over $25,000 in anticipated revenue," Steranko said. "I'd like to make a motion to use money from our operating reserve, if it becomes necessary, to help us meet expenses."

Council members unanimously gave their approval.

The council voted to change its meeting times in 2013. For many years, the borough held its workshops at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month and its regular meetings at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday.

While the days will stay the same, the times will be to 7 p.m.

Copyright 2012 - Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.