In November 2014, Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley gave Talal M. Rajha, Whitehall, time to figure out what to do with a blighted structure he owns in Pottsville, a fire-damaged property at 446 E. Market St.
Seeing no progress, Reiley on Thursday ordered Rajha to demolish the building and fined him $1,000.
“Time has gone by. Nothing is being done. The city can’t keep coming back here. Something has to be done,” Reiley told Rajha at a summary trial at his courtroom at 200 E. Arch St., Suite 125, Pottsville, on Thursday.
Reiley said Rajha has 30 days to appeal the case.
Walter E. Morrissey, an attorney from Bethlehem who represented Rajha at Thursday’s summary trial, said Rajha will appeal the case to Schuylkill County Court.
“It’s a victory at the magistrate level, but it’s a step in the right direction I guess. But I can’t say it’s a victory until it’s done. It could be overturned up at the courthouse,” David J. Petravich, city building code officer, said.
City officials established the Pottsville Blight and Nuisance Task Force on April 17, 2012, to deal with such properties. The building at 446 E. Market St. is No. 11 on the city’s blight list, Petravich said.
City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said Thursday he was pleased with the judge’s decision.
“We’re very happy. We put a lot of work into these properties in trying to identify what we can possibly do to correct problems the neighborhood are experiencing. This is one of those bigger buildings that has a large negative impact on the community. It’s definitely a disincentive for any kind of investment in that neighborhood. And if we can get the courts to compel him to take that property down, it would be a huge victory for the court system, for the blight task force, for our code enforcement office and, most importantly, for the neighborhood,” Palamar said.
Rajha bought the three-story apartment building at 446 E. Market St. from Kenneth A. and Leslie G. Bucker on Jan. 14, 2012, for $47,500, according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.
It was vacant March 5 when an accidental fire caused flames to roar up from its basement, causing more than $50,000 in damage, city Fire Chief Todd March said that day, according to the newspaper’s archives.
Rajha was planning to renovate it and restore it to an apartment complex.
But since the fire, little was done to improve the structure.
On Aug. 20, 2014, Petravich issued Rajha a citation.
It stated the building was in violation of the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code, Section 110, Subsection 110.1. Petravich said the defendant failed to make the structure safe and sanitary through repairs or through demolition and removal of the structure.
A hearing on that citation was held at Reiley’s court Nov. 25, 2014, according to Petravich.
“And it was continued, but at the time the judge didn’t set a date,” Petravich said.
Petravich continued to issue Rajha citations regarding the building.
“The defendant failed to repair or replace structure after three years,” Petravich said in a citation filed Sept. 29, 2015.
“The defendant fails to make structure safe and sanitary with repairs or to remove structure,” Petravich said in one filed Jan. 21.