Sep 10, 2014 By Erin Hayes for The 4 min read

MASONTOWN — Officials are reviewing a landlord-tenant ordinance recently adopted by a neighboring borough that may help address the problem of blight in the community.

Councilwoman Kay Rendina passed copies of an ordinance implemented in Point Marion to council members Tuesday, saying that the landlord-tenant ordinance can be used as a guideline to develop similar code enforcement measures in Masontown.

Point Marion’s landlord-tenant ordinance, which entered its enforcement phase in August, is based on the International Property Maintenance Code and designed to quell disruptive behavior in the borough and hold landlords accountable for the condition of their rental properties.

The Point Marion ordinance was largely protested at a town hall meeting last year by landlords opposed to inside inspections of their properties, but borough officials there have maintained that the ordinance would help ensure rental properties were up to code and also provide tools to assist landlords in dealing with disruptive tenants.

“I feel we made a terrible mistake” by not implementing something similar years ago, Rendina said.

“That’s why we need the code,” Rendia said following discussion on two buildings in the borough that are an obvious source of blight — a former grocery store and beverage distributor.

Also at the meeting, Mayor Toni Petrus reminded that Sept. 20 is National Tell a Police Officer “Thank You” Day, and encouraged residents to show their appreciation of the men and women in blue who routinely risk their lives when protecting the public.

“They get taken for granted until they are needed. People kind of ignore them, they get kicked to the curbside, but when you need them, they are there,” Petrus said. “People should take a moment to thank them for what they do — and I’m not just referring to our police officers here in the borough, but police officers everywhere.”

Petrus reminded that the borough is accepting donations for the police department’s K-9 fund, used to feed and otherwise maintain the police department’s K-9 officer, Brony. “The fund had been doing really good until recently,” Petrus said. “I don’t want to know how low the fund is; I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”

The fund had run low enough recently to prompt council to donate $1,000, but additional funds are needed to carry the police department’s K-9 operation into the future, she said. Donations may be dropped off at the borough building.

Council also reminded that a town hall meeting will be held on Sept. 29 to address concerns about the proposed Masontown Family project to be constructed near Fort Mason Village, a housing project that officials said has been a hotbed of disruptive behavior and a drain on borough police department resources.

Residents and council members have expressed concerns that the Masontown Family project, which has been described as affordable housing for working families, will revert back to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development once the tax credits used to build the new complex are satisfied.

Perry O’Malley, president of the Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Corporation, has agreed to attend the town hall meeting to address those concerns, said council President Frank McLaughlin.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Masontown VFW hall, located at 115 River Ave.

In other business, council:

n Tabled entering into a contract with Angels of Mercy to provide to fill a void in animal control services created recently with the shuttering of the Fayette County Society for the Prevention and Cruelty Animals. Council agreed that additional information is needed before a decision can be made.

n Announced that a new speaker system for council chambers had arrived and would be installed soon.