SHAMOKIN - While city officials await action from Larry Burda on a fire-damaged property he owns on North Shamokin Street, they've moved against him for the condition of another one of his properties.
Two citations were filed by city Code Officer Rick Bozza against Burda over the past two weeks for a garage near Clay and Vine streets, located at the top of a staircase that descends to Pearl Street. The one-story block structure has no roof. It's garage door is pulled about halfway down, exposing wood and debris stored inside.
The citations raise to 32 the total number filed against Burda, 62, of Shamokin, by officials from both Coal Township and Shamokin since September 2007 for alleged ordinance violations regarding trash, weeds, landlord registration fees and more.
Of those, 15 citations have been withdrawn by the issuing agent and another five dismissed by Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III. Online court records do not indicate why a citation is withdrawn or dismissed, but an agreement on compliance would not be out of the question.
Burda was found guilty by Gembic on four occasions for various violations, including for trash and high weeds, with latest coming in August 2012. He's been levied a total of $1,212.90 in fines and court costs.
The judge had found him not guilty in October 2011 for an allegation of high weeds.
Six citations filed since December 2012 are pending against Burda, including the latest filed by Bozza. Four others were filed by Coal Township Code Officer Chris Petrovich - three for allegedly failing to update tenant registration and one for an alleged occupancy permit violation. Summonses for five of the citations went unclaimed; the sixth was issued Tuesday.