PITTSTON — Aimed at quality-of-life issues, the city conducted an unannounced sweep of the Oregon Heights neighborhood Tuesday through its recently formed Neighborhood Action Team.
The team’s purpose is to address blight, property maintenance issues, and other problems.
The city’s Facebook page put up this post as the sweep was ongoing late Tuesday morning: “Personnel are looking for code, criminal and quality of life violations. Additionally, two vacant structures will be demolished.
“This is the new normal. This City will not tolerate any activity, or anti-social behavior, that degrades the quality of life in our neighborhoods.”
During the sweep, code enforcement issued violations to 27 different properties.
Comments on social media included residents who applauded the effort, to others who asked why it took so long.
“Our intentions are not to violate civil rights, but the city is concerned and interested in targeting areas where there are high-crime activities and drug use and we have documentation to where those areas are and we’re going to continue that fight,” said City Administrator Joe Moskovitz. “We’re not going to allow crime and drugs to continue in these areas. You’ve got to start somewhere and you’ve got to stop these issues.”
More unannounced sweeps are planned in the near future in areas such as Searle, Mill and Carroll streets.
“It’s far from one-and-done and will be a continuing effort from our city,” said Moskovitz. “These problems weren’t created overnight and won’t go away overnight.”
