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Letter to the Editor: Toughen laws on animal cruelty; support passage of Pennsylvania’s House Bill 869

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Wilkes-Barre property vacant for decades getting worse, neighbors say

<p>Hazleton businessman Barry Postupack has submitted an offer to purchase a Luzerne County-owned lot next to his North Cedar Street auto repair and bait shop for $8,000.</p><p>Postupack had criticized prior county administrations in 2014 for failing to act on his past inquiries about buying the lot. In response to similar complaints and a push to generate new revenue, county officials implemented a policy that year, allowing prospective buyers to submit offers.</p><p>Postupack said he decided to try again because the lot still contains debris and overgrowth that detracts from his business. Many customers and observers mistakenly believe the neglected lot is part of his business, he said.</p><p>The county cleaned up a toilet, broken glass and other debris on the lot after he pointed out it was an eyesore in 2015, but Postupack said it continues to attract litter and abandoned vehicles.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just trying to finally do something to clean it up and make it presentable,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Past county officials had purchased the 0.178-acre property for $30,000 in 1999 to provide parking for county offices located nearby at that time. There also was talk of rehabilitating the deteriorating and now-defunct Hazleton Paper Co. building on the lot, but county commissioners unanimously approved a $49,300 bid to demolish the structure in 2005.</p><p>Postupack had tried to buy the lot for $12,000 when county government put it on the market in 2008, but he was told he&#8217;d have to offer at the then-appraised value of $18,000. He said he continued to inquire with various county offices about buying the land but gave up around 2012 because he was never given an opportunity to negotiate.</p><p>The city expressed interest in obtaining the lot for $1 in 2014, but that request fell through because the county council members said they wanted to recoup at least a portion of the county&#8217;s past $80,000 investment.</p><p>The current $8,000 offer is based on a property value decline in the city, Postupack said.</p><p>&#8220;People may not realize, but a lot of properties in this area went down by half. There are homes where people are trying to get $60,000 and they can&#8217;t get $30,000,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The lot at 56 N. Cedar St. is assessed at $15,500, which means Postupack would pay $237 in school, county and local real estate taxes annually under current tax rates. He may consider adding a storage building on the L-shaped lot.</p><p>The county council members are set to discuss the offer at their work session Tuesday because the policy covering the purchase of county-owned property worth less than $25,000 requires prospective buyers to publicly advertise the proposed sale in case others are interested.</p><p>For the process to proceed, the council must permit the prospective buyer to advertise the sale at the buyer&#8217;s expense.</p><p>After proof of advertisement is filed with the council clerk, the council can vote on a resolution completing the sale. The county policy says the county retains the right to continue to negotiate the purchase with the proposed buyer or other interested parties that surface after the advertisement.</p><p>The county policy does not require an appraisal for purchases under $10,000.</p><p>Two other proposed purchases of county-owned property are on Tuesday&#8217;s council agenda.</p><p>The council is slated to adopt a resolution to sell a 0.27-acre lot on Pearson Street in Hanover Township to Jeffrey J. Kobal for $500. The lot is assessed at $12,300, and no objections to the sale resulted from Kobal&#8217;s public advertisement, officials said. Kobal owns an adjacent property. The county tax-claim office had transferred ownership of the lot to county commissioners in 1986.</p><p>A vote to allow Andrew and Christina Popielarz to advertise the proposed purchase of a 0.13-acre lot on Fairground Road in Dallas Township also is on the voting agenda. The couple owns an adjacent property and is offering $500 for the lot, saying it is landlocked and unbuildable. The lot is assessed at $13,000.</p><p>County Manager C. David Pedri said several properties have been sold since the policy was enacted, reducing the county&#8217;s liability.</p><p>Hundreds of vacant lots and land slivers ended up in the county&#8217;s name during the past 200 years.</p><p>&#8220;The county is looking at all options to streamline our services and land holdings,&#8221; Pedri said Friday. &#8220;If we do not have a reason to hold a piece of land, it&#8217;s best to put it back on the tax rolls.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pedri </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_TTL072016media-briefing1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pedri </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>If you go</strong></p><p>Luzerne County Council members will discuss proposed land sales at Tuesday&#8217;s meeting and work session, which starts at 6 p.m. at the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County trying to unload more property