Today, City Officials conducted a Neighborhood Action Team (NAT) sweep on Butler, Sand, Radcliffe, Defoe Streets and Prospect Place. The NAT was formed last year as a way to further the Neighborhood Housing Initiative. The mission statement of the Initiative is: “Develop a plan and implementation strategy designed to reduce the number of code deficient, vacant and abandoned houses in the City of Pittston’s neighborhoods. Create a complimentary regulatory environment that allows the leveraging of resources. To improve the overall appearance of the neighborhoods creating attractive, livable, safe and desired housing.”
This sweep resulted in 25 properties receiving Notices of Violation and three verbal warnings for issues ranging from high grass to collapsing structures. The Police Department tagged 5 abandoned vehicles and issued 11 parking violations. The Fire Bureau checked hydrants in the area. The Facilities Management team performed maintenance work such as trimming weeds and brush.
Property owners receiving notices are required to contact Code Enforcement within 24 hours of a notice to develop a plan of action. They are given up to 24 hours to correct violations such as high grass and up to 30 days (or more) to address more substantial issues. No actual fines or citations are issued during NAT sweeps. The purpose of the sweeps are to improve the neighborhoods and quality of life of our residents, and to remind homeowners of their obligation to maintain their properties in a safe and code compliant manner. The City utilizes the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) as published by the International Code Council for these standards. The International Code Council is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes. More information about the IPMC may be found at https://codes.iccsafe.org/public/collections/I-Codes.
An abandoned vehicle is one that does not have a current inspection. Vehicle owners are given 7 days to obtain an inspection before further enforcement action occurs.
