SHAMOKIN - A landlord looking to recoup federal money used to subsidize rent for tenants won the first battle last week in court.
Barry Getchey, owner of an apartment building on North Sixth Street, was found not guilty of seven code violations involving the heating system in his building during a hearing before Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III, of Shamokin, on Jan. 23.
The citations were filed by Shamokin City Code Enforcement Officer Rick Bozza on Nov. 9.
While Getchey is not guilty of the code violations, Shamokin Housing Authority Executive Director Ron Miller said Tuesday that three months of payments - totalling approximately $10,000 from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Housing Choice Voucher program - will not be released because, according to Miller, Getchey may not have addressed other safety issues.
"We tried to come in and have our inspector look at the place, but he kicked him out and said that he doesn't want anything to do with HUD," Miller said.
Getchey has denied the claims, saying the other issues - a leaking roof, unlit emergency exit signs, empty fire extinguishers and mold issues - were taken care of.
Miller said that Getchey was paid in October with a little extra to offset heating costs, but Getchey admitted that the furnace wasn't working from September to November. Getchey said electric heaters were provided to the tenants while the furnace was being repaired, with Getchey saying he would pay any increased electricity costs incurred by the residents.
Getchey and authority representatives are scheduled to meet in Gembic's court March 1 to give arguments in a lawsuit filed by the landlord. The authority has also filed a countersuit, trying to recoup the money paid out in October.
'Thank you'
At a Jan. 19 meeting of the authority's board of directors, chairman Raymond G. Splane asked to play a voicemail message he received from Getchey so it could be officially included in the meeting's record. Authority members heard the message in a previous executive session, but authority solicitor James Rosini advised Splane not to play it publicly, saying the message might be something the district attorney should hear first.
When asked what the call was about, Getchey said he offered Splane $300 if the chairman would help Getchey get his money. Getchey called it a "thank-you gift" instead of a bribe.