A month after the Pottsville Redevelopment Authority said it would pause new conservatorship efforts due to financial constraints, City Council voted Monday to move forward with petitions on several long-blighted properties.
The following properties were approved for the City to begin the conservatorship process:
- 800 Mahantongo St.
- 802 Mahantongo St.
- 804 Mahantongo St.
- 300-304 W. Market St.
The vote on Monday also came as questions swirled about whether the City had enough money to do this and even if they were voting to actually start the conservatorship process or simply explore the possibility.
Starting the process or just exploring?
Questions were raised Monday prior to the vote to begin the conservatorship process as to whether council members were doing that exactly or whether they were exploring it.
Councilwoman Catherine Mahon addressed that concern by stating, “What we’re going to vote on is we’re going to explore this.”
But ultimately, that’s not what council members voted to approve. As the agenda item was read, council voted unanimously to approve “the filing of conservatorship petitions under the abandoned and blighted property conservatorship act.”
Solicitor Ed Brennan said his first step is to conduct a title search on each and those just came back to him. So, his next step is to consult with Pottsville’s Code Enforcement Officer Justin Trefsger to review code violations on each property.
When that’s completed – a process Brennan said could take up to six weeks – is when he’ll file the conservatorship petitions on the approved properties.
Making the same mistake twice?
Pottsville Area Development Corp. executive director Savas Logothetides questioned council members about starting the conservatorship process on these properties – while admitting it was necessary for them – without having proper processes in place.
“For this work, we just got done saying it’s not starting. As soon as he starts the petitions, that’s starting the work,” he said.
He wondered why the City was moving forward with this – and with exploring the possibility of retaining a firm to serve as grant writer – before hiring a new City Administrator to oversee the processes.
Logothetides also questioned why there was a “not to exceed” clause on something like possibly hiring a grant writing firm but not on conservatorships.
“This systematically is exactly how the Redevelopment Authority got into trouble,” he said.
Logothetides previously questioned Brennan’s legal bills to the Redevelopment Authority in recent years which totaled about $194,000, some of which was earned by that board pursuing conservatorships.
Brennan said he’ll provide periodic updates on each conservatorship property in confidential updates to council members. Each property will be billed to the City individually so council members can track their investment on each.
Councilman Andy Wollyung heard Logothetides’ concerns but said, “We need to move this forward. I think we have to start moving forward on the process because of how long it takes. This is not fast. As of now, we are going to monitor it as of updates from (Brennan) and we will do so as we’ve discussed here this evening.”
Does Pottsville even have the money to do what the Redevelopment Authority said it couldn’t?
Monday’s decision prompted questions about funding, too.
Republican Mayoral candidate Tom Smith raised the question on whether the City even had enough money to pursue conservatorships.
He estimated that the average conservatorship costs about $7,500 and wondered where money was coming from to pay for this on the properties approved on Monday.
Smith’s estimate is in line with what Brennan had previously said regarding an average cost of a conservatorship. However, some could be more costly if a property owner is “litigious” and drags out the process.
Since it appears, at least for now, that the City is going to handle conservatorships rather than Redevelopment Authority, money will have to be set aside to pay for the costs.
Brennan said in his similar role with Saint Clair, he’s got about 12 active conservatorships at any given time. Some are at the beginning of the process and others are near the end.
Right now, after Monday’s vote, Pottsville has just a handful.
Brennan said, as it relates to the City’s budget, that is an issue that council members will have to consider as they plan their spending for 2026.
“I believe the Redevelopment Authority may not have the funds to do these, that doesn’t mean they don’t get done,” Brennan said.
As far as which body pursues conservatorships, Brennan said the choice to have the Redevelopment Authority doing them rather than the City really was a decision of former City Administrator Tom Palamar, who instructed him to do them rather than then-City Solicitor Tim Pellish.
“I could have just as easily been doing it for the City,” Brennan said.
A Point of Agreement?
Despite disagreements over timing and funding, everyone appeared to agree that the targeted properties are in urgent need of attention.
“The 800 block (of Mahantongo St.) … that’s about ready to fall in,” Brennan said.
He added that LLCs listed as owners “have done nothing.”
“They’ll continue to do nothing,” he added.
For the properties on W. Market St., Brennan said, “It has to be addressed.”
The solicitor said he’s tried to have conversations with the owner and that the LLC which owns them paid $319,000 for them.
“If you try to take it by eminent domain, he would be saying it’s worth ($319,000). You do a conservatorship, that doesn’t come into play. That’s the advantage of doing that and I think it’s important to move forward with those buildings.”
What is Conservatorship?
Pennsylvania’s Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act lets a court appoint someone to take control of abandoned or dangerous buildings when the owners refuse to fix them. The appointed conservator—often a nonprofit or local authority—can make repairs, manage the property, or even sell it under court supervision.
To qualify, a building must have been empty for at least a year, not actively for sale, and in serious disrepair. Only certain parties—like nearby residents, municipalities, or nonprofits—can ask the court to intervene.
Once appointed, the conservator can borrow money, make improvements, and file liens to recover costs. The process ends when the building is rehabilitated, sold, or deemed beyond saving. The goal is to turn long-neglected properties back into something safe and useful, rather than letting them sit empty and blighted.
READ MORE:
- No New Projects, No New Conservatorships for Pottsville Redevelopment Authority
- Pottsville Officials Clash with Solicitor Over $194K in Legal Fees
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Sir John
October 18, 2025 at 9:05 am
I guess Barefoot Development will reap the benefits of all of this. Local politicians will get their pockets lined again.