Property Reassessment

August 25, 2008

Collapse raises reassess concerns

By Sheena Delazio sdelazio@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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LARKSVILLE – Borough officials and residents are not only concerned about safety after the Mission of Christ Church collapsed Saturday, but they’re also concerned about what the new assessed value of the property might say about the county reassessment process.

According to county records, the former church at 97 E. Third St. was recently reassessed at $169,700.

“The major thing here is, was the reassessment done right?” said Larksville Borough Council President Joseph Romanoskey. “This is a perfect example of (property and building) that was not assessed right. It’s worth almost $170,000 and it fell to the ground.”

Romanoskey said several neighbors who live near the property have expressed concern that not only is the crumpled building a safety hazard, but there is some discrepancy regarding the owners of the property, which online reassessment databases list as “county held.”

“We have to contact the owners, and if it’s true that the county owns it, we’ll have to see what they’ll do because it’s a hazard for the borough,” Romanoskey said.

County commissioners could not be reached for comment Sunday night.

The 108-year-old building that fell down Saturday afternoon was also once used as a Sunday school for children but has been vacant for nearly 10 years.

One wall of the two-story building collapsed onto Marcy Street, the other onto the home of Paul and Stacy Sincavage, who live next door.

According to televised reports, the Sincavages and Stanley Piekanski, who lives on Marcy Street, are actively questioning the assessment value and if the recent reassessment was done accurately.

According to records, the land the church sits on is roughly .15 acres. Listed in databases as Union Church at 95 3rd St., Larksville, the church was valued at $3,700 and land at $70 when the first assessment was done many years ago.

Today, the land is valued at $15,200, while the building is valued at $154,500.

Romanoskey said the reassessment value is being questioned because the property wasn’t even in habitable condition, yet the reassessed value is higher than other homes in the area.

Romanoskey said he would try to attend a meeting on reassessment at Luzerne County Community College set for 5 to 7 tonight to address the problem, but wasn’t sure if he would be able to make it.

“The building is lying on the ground,” Romanoskey said. “What if someone was in that church? Then they reassess it at a high value and the property isn’t even that big. I don’t think the assessment is fair. That’s a perfect example of the whole thing.”

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