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WILKES-BARRE — The house with trash piled high alongside it on Westminster Street appeared to be the ideal spot for the city Wednesday to start its annual neighborhood cleanup program.
It would have been even better if the house was empty, leaving it up to the city to haul away the boxes and bags of garbage.
“There’s no doubt this is vacant,” said Joe Rodano of the city’s Office of Economic and Community Development as he accompanied Mayor Tony George, police, fire, health and code enforcement officials for a press conference.
Rodano knocked on the door and was walking away when it opened. “They’re home,” a surprised Rodano said.
The media invited by the mayor’s office to mark the third year of the “Taking it to the Streets” program turned its attention to the woman who gave only her first name, Sarah.
“I don’t think I should give names because this is ridiculous,” said the woman.
It was garbage day and that’s why it was piled outside. “This is going out today,” she said.
Not all of it was hers, however. Other people have dumped trash on the property. “I’ve been taking care of stuff that has been thrown into my yard,” she said.
Her landlord was made aware of it, but he tells her it’s her responsibility, she said.
“We normally cited the tenants. Now we cite the tenants and the homeowners,” Mayor George said. “So if somebody’s out of town, they’re going to get a citation and they’re going to be responsible for their tenants.”
In this case, the landlord was from out of town and the citations would get his attention about whom he rents to and keeping his property clean, the mayor noted.
“When you hit their pocketbooks, they think twice about what they do,” said George.
The Westminster Street house racked up several hundred dollars in fines for accumulation of rubbish and garbage, improper disposal of trash and placement of indoor items outdoors. If the property was not cleaned up within 10 days, it would result in a $1,000 citation.
The number of tickets issued for Quality of Life violations has been trending downward — 350 in 2017 and 260 in 2018, the mayor said. He viewed the decrease as proof the program is working.
“We are taking back the streets from trash and blight and crime. In order to do this, we need the help of our residents,” the mayor said.
Anonymous tips about Quality of Life violations can be made to the Health Department at 570-208-4268 or the Mayor’s Help Line at 570-821-1111.
The program continues over the next two months in the following neighborhoods:
• April 2 – Rolling Mill Hill
• April 10 – Heights
• April 17 – East End
• April 24 – North End
• May 1 – Miners Mills
• May 8 – Parsons
• May 15 – Downtown
