SUNBURY - In an effort to help the City of Shamokin demolish a longtime eyesore and condemned property on North Market Street, Northumberland County commissioners agreed Tuesday to sell the building to the city for $1.
Commissioners Vinny Clausi and Frank Sawicki passed a motion to waive the $500 minimum bid fee for the property located at 28-32 N. Market St. and sell the structure for $1 to help expedite the process of having the building razed. Commissioner Merle Phillips was absent.
Sawicki, who noted the county is the trustee for the property, said the city plans to apply for state grants to demolish the building.
When contacted after the meeting, Shamokin Mayor George Rozinskie Jr. said he was grateful to the commissioners, particularly Clausi, for making it easier for the city to eliminate a longtime eyesore and safety hazard.
"That building has been a sore spot for the city for many years and we've been battling to get it torn down," Rozinskie said. "We appreciate the county's help with this project."
The mayor said the demolition project must be approved by the state Department of Community and Economic Development. He said community development block grants will be used to finance the demolition, which is expected to cost between $60,000 to $70,000.
Rozinskie said he's hopeful demolition work can begin before winter.
The former apartment building had a minimum starting bid of $1,235.62 at a judicial sale in August, which represented the costs incurred by the county to bring the property to sale. However, no one bid on the property.
Former owner Orlando Mirarchi and his company, Orlando Development Corp., failed to pay more than $9,000 in past property taxes.
After a partial collapse that left a two story-high gaping hold in the building in 2009, then-Shamokin code enforcement officer Barry Stoud cited Mirarchi in 2010 on 21 counts of failure to repair the building according to the building code. Mirarchi appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied.
Still, Mirarchi can no longer be cited under the code because the building was offered in a June tax upset sale. A past court decision ruled that the county was the trustee for the property.
A joint effort between Shamokin, Northumberland County and Shamokin Area School District to tear the building down was planned in June, but fell apart, according to Rozinskie.
