Cracking down on code enforcement
Dilapidated houses. Junked cars shrouded by weeds. Lawns that resemble hay fields.
Uniontown residents have driven or walked by blight for years until the crumbling and disheveled homes and rusted hulks of vehicles have nearly become accepted as part of the city’s landscape.
But, thanks a new concerted effort, police and city officials are hopeful that will begin to change.
Uniontown police Chief Jason A. Cox said the endeavor to reduce blight in the city is not entirely new, noting that citations have been issued sporadically over the years, and code enforcement officers and the city have done their best to try and work with residents and property owners to resolve ongoing code issues.
However, Cox said, some property owners have failed to do their part in return, leading to the move to try and crack down on repeat and long term offenders.
Cox said his department is working with Uniontown code enforcement officer Scott Chapple to crack down on code enforcement violations in the city, beginning last week when police issued 25 citations to eight different property owners.
And Sgt. Wayne Brown, who has been tasked with overseeing the effort, said that this first wave of enforcement is just the start.
“This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what is to come,” Brown said.
Citations were issued for houses and property on Johnson Street, Herman Street, Winona Street, Trader Street, Stewart Avenue, Evans Street, Cleveland Avenue and Easy Street.
Brown said that those cited include Rusty Mechling of Uniontown; Nancy Todd of Latrobe; Harold Nicholson of Uniontown; Rita Nokes-Hall of Uniontown; Louis Scheggia of Chalk Hill; Andrew Scalia of Smithfield and Delbert Rockwell of Uniontown.
Mechling received a total of eight citations, and several other property owners received multiple citations, Brown said.
Brown said that citations were issued for a plethora of infractions, including multiple citations for exterior structure problems, exterior property problems and junk vehicles.
Brown said that in some cases, homes that are currently under investigation have been condemned in recent years, but no property maintenance or upgrades were conducted and the properties are still being rented to tenants.
Cox said that Chapple has given city property owners more than fair warning, following all guidelines for notification and even giving grace periods, while working in conjunction with Jim Knapp of K-2 Engineering.
“He (Chapple) is working with people, however, there are a number of individuals who are taking no action and our only recourse is to issue citations,” Cox said.
Each citation carries fines ranging from $500 to $1,000. With some landowners like Mechling receiving as many as eight citations in the city’s first round of dedicated enforcement, he could face fines of up to $8,000, making failure to comply with code a pricey proposition, Cox said.
Cox said that he and Chapple have worked hand-in-hand with Mayor Ed Fike and Councilman Philip Michael, who have recognized the need for a widespread crackdown on code violations and have offered their full support.
“The mayor’s office has authorized the resources to continue these efforts and to allow us to move forward with increased enforcement,” Cox said.
Michael said that the effort is simply an extension of the efforts made by code enforcement officers in recent years, taking the process one step further.
“These property owners need to recognize that the city cannot continue to allow code violations to be put off or ignored,” Michael said.
Fike said that cleaning up the blight is something he has hoped to dedicate more time and resources to since he took office.
“There are beautiful homes in this city and good property owners who take care of their houses and land,” Fike said. “This is an effort to not only ensure the safety of residents living in the homes that are in violation but to cleanup neighborhoods and make Uniontown a better place to live.”