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Martin Schram: One presidential leader at a time

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Times Leader P.M. Update: Sunday, Dec. 20

Neal Piskorick&rsquo;s newly purchased Luzerne County tax claim repository property in the outskirts of Shickshinny may eventually be a relaxing retreat, but for now it&rsquo;s a ramshackle cabin on grounds littered with debris and a tree ready to fall on the structure.
				&ldquo;I basically bought myself a lot of work and a bill,&rdquo; the 49-year-old Nanticoke man said, laughing.
				The two adjoining parcels he purchased for $500 each were among 75 repository sales county council approved last week.
				Properties land in the repository if nobody purchased them in popular first- and second-stage tax auctions. They remain in limbo and abandoned unless a buyer surfaces.
				Unloading repository properties has been a priority because the county has amassed more than 1,000 in its pool &mdash; more than most, if not all, other similarly-sized, third-class counties in Pennsylvania.
				Some properties have been in the county&rsquo;s repository for many years because they have access problems, are too tiny to hold a structure under current zoning requirements or have structures too far gone to salvage. The inventory includes retention basins and scraps deserted by developers after they finished projects.
				The properties can be purchased at any time, and a list of those available is updated regularly and posted at <a href="http://www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com/repositorylist.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com</a>.
				In Piskorick&rsquo;s case, the two parcels he purchased &mdash; one vacant &mdash; had been in real estate tax delinquency since 2005.
				Piskorick sporadically checked the repository list for about 20 years after learning of it through past work in surveying, but he never felt strongly enough about a property to pull the trigger until now. Researching potential purchases also is easier because the county Mapping/GIS department now provides a free online portal showing its assessment of boundary lines for all county parcels at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/234/GIS-Mapping" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">luzernecounty.org</a>, he said.
				The site off Glen Avenue in Shickshinny drew him in because it is along the Little Shickshinny Creek but not in a flood zone and near state game lands ideal for hiking. He&rsquo;s already found one waterfall on the state land about two miles from his new property.
				&ldquo;This time I said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m going to do it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Piskorick said. &ldquo;I like it for the location, but the property is really in bad condition.&rdquo;
				Trash dumped throughout the property, which totals 0.19 acre, must be removed. He said he wants to clean that up to protect the stream.
				The original rear section of the cabin is stone, making him wonder if it was once part of a mill. The roof is badly leaking and must be replaced.
				He estimates it will take him about five years to complete the work, saying he will accept offers from friends to help.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll stabilize and get it to a stage where it&rsquo;s at least weatherproof with a new roof. I&rsquo;ll probably take it down to the studs,&rdquo; he said.
				Other sales
				Elite Revenue Solutions LLC, the county&rsquo;s tax-claim operator, performed searches of all bidders and found none owed delinquent taxes in the county.
				Six of the repository properties were purchased for $1 each by municipalities.
				Black Creek Township bought four parcels.
				Pittston City&rsquo;s Redevelopment Authority purchased two properties: a 0.12 acre land-only parcel on Elizabeth Street that had been owned by Sprinkles and Shakes Ice Cream Inc. and tax delinquent since 2013 and a structure on 0.08 acre at 134 R. Parsonage St. in default status since 2014, records show.
				Only three properties sold for more than $500.
				A structure on 0.26 acre on Highland Main Street in Foster Township sold for $2,205. The two remaining parcels were land only &mdash; 5.49 acres on Pittston Boulevard in Bear Creek Township that went for $1,395 and a 0.17-acre lot on Spruce Street in Harveys Lake that went for $900.
				Under a policy council adopted in July, non-municipal buyers must pay $1,000 to purchase repository parcels if they contain a structure, while bids will remain at $500 for those without a building.
				However, many of the purchase offers approved by council last week were made before that policy passed. For example, Piskorick said he submitted his offer a year ago.
				Council&rsquo;s Real Estate Committee recommended the $500 increase in the minimum bid for those with structures, concluding the amount was reasonable but not too high to deter prospective buyers.

Nanticoke man takes risk with tax-claim repository purchase