Council presses for abatement at 700 West Cobbs after months of complaints; public works schedules cleanup

Councilors raised ongoing neighborhood concerns about trash piled for months at a property on 700 West Cobbs and asked why abatement had not occurred sooner. Council said the accumulation was visible to residents and asserted that the borough should not grant extended time for cleanup.

Director Collins and code staff said the property had multiple citations and that abatement paperwork had been submitted to Public Works; Public Works said contractors were present on-site as recently as two weeks earlier and that the borough delayed abatement while contractors were working.

Public Works reported resource constraints (short staffing, training) but said a plan was in place to abate the property the morning after the Veterans Day compliance deadline. "We made a plan tomorrow morning to go to 700 West Cobbs to abate it," Public Works stated; councilors requested prompt follow-up and a confirmation that abatement would occur.

Council asked the solicitor and manager to ensure additional fees from police and public works for securing the property are documented for potential collection. Public Works said it would proceed once staff and equipment were available.