Contractors, business owners, landlords, and local residents, attended a public discussion Tuesday evening (Feb. 25, 2014) involving Tamaqua code enforcement and other related topics.
The discussion, held at the Lehigh Carbon Community College – Morgan Campus, was lead by Josh Esposito, Tamaqua’s Code Enforcement Officer, and Rick Harmon, Operations Manager for Northeast Region, of Barry Isett & Associates.
Esposito said the public discussion was held in an effort to better explain the building and permitting code process, as well as the rules and regulations of the current codes in Tamaqua.
Numerous community members and individuals spoke up about a number of topics related to borough codes, Act 45 and Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code.
Also in attendance during the discussion were Tamaqua Borough Council President Micah Gursky, Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt, Tamaqua Fire Chief Tom Hartz and councilmen Justin Startzel, Dave Mace and Tom Cara.
Some Tamaqua Quality of Life (QOL) items brought up were:
– Everyone is only permitted to put their garbage out 24 hours prior and must bring bins in 24 hours after collection.
– Everyone must keep their grass below 10 inches.
– 24-hours after a snowfall, everyone must clear a 3 foot wide path on sidewalks.
Another QOL topic involved unregistered vehicles on people’s properties.
Continuing, Esposito said the landlords are required to have their properties inspected at least once every four years. They are also required, every year, to list all tenants over 18 years.
“Its the law. These are laws, and not somebody’s personal law,” said Daniel Poncavage, secretary, Building Appeals Board. “They follow dually elected statutes.”
“These laws foster a safer environment,” added Poncavage. “Sadly, most of these laws come about via abuses.”
Harmon noted that most construction “fixtures” don’t require permits. He added that construction that involves structural altercations or large changes with piping or electrical work would require permits.
“The code should pertain to the municipality,” said Frank Kane, Chairman, Building Appeals Board.
“Borough needs to understand that it is very difficult to control bad tenants arbitrarily,” said local resident Tom Rockwell, who owns multiple rental properties in the borough. “Honest landlords shouldn’t be held liable for bad tenants. The borough should ticket the tenant, not the landlord.”
“The borough needs to streamline health and zoning inspections so that everybody is on the same page,” said Larry Padora, local business owner. “Make code enforcement less complicated for property owners.”
Gursky said the code enforcement officer is there to enforce the borough’s codes. “We hire code enforcement officers,” said Gursky. “They do what we (borough council) tell them to.” He added that anybody is welcomed to state their concerns via a letter or by speaking at a public council meeting.
During the discussion, Dan Schroeder, Tamaqua’s Community Development Officer, spent time talking about a number of topics. Some of which included:
– Fair housing requirements.
– Lead based paint.
– Asbestos abatement.
– Equal housing opportunity.
– Right-to-work laws under US Department of Justice.
– Economic opportunities for Section 3 residents and Section 3 business concerns.
– E-Verify online citizenship verification service.
– Good faith efforts for minority and women-owned businesses under the Environmental Protection Agency.
Esposito said that anyone in Tamaqua will have access to zoning permits, UCC permits, rental code applications, health code applications, and how-to guides via their website http://www.barryisett.com. They anticipate about 30 days for permits and such to be available.
Gursky added that borough is currently in the process of making Tamaqua’s codes and laws available via an electronic version (aka codifying).
Esposito said that he is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 AM to 12 PM in the borough. He added that he can be reached via calling (570) 455-2999.
All zoning and related applications can be picked up at the Borough Hall, 320 East Broad Street, during normal business hours.