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Resident urges township to acquire tax‑delinquent parcels on Pennsylvania Boulevard for trail
Summary
At the advisory board meeting, resident Dave Eckler urged municipal leaders to pursue acquisition of long‑tax delinquent parcels along Pennsylvania Boulevard—some delinquent for decades—to create a walking trail and suggested cost‑sharing among taxing bodies; he said requests for a solicitor memo were denied.
During the public‑comment period a resident, Dave Eckler of 121 Cawthler Drive, urged the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to press municipal commissioners to acquire a block of tax‑delinquent properties along Pennsylvania Boulevard (near the LRT track and extending to Commonwealth Bank) for use as a walking trail.
Eckler said many of the properties have been tax delinquent for years and that prior efforts to obtain a solicitor’s memo about acquisition costs were unsuccessful; he said he submitted a Right‑to‑Know request and that his requests were denied. He told the board he had spoken with county staff, who estimated sheriff’s‑sale acquisition costs at about $2,000 per parcel and that acquiring the group could total "about $40,000 to $50,000," up from an earlier solicitor estimate of about $15,000.
After the comment the Chair closed the public‑comment time slot. Several board members thanked Eckler for raising the issue and encouraged follow‑up with the commissioners — one member urged that, even if the commission declines, they should make a public, documented decision explaining why. A member suggested cost‑sharing among the three taxing bodies (municipality, county and school district) and said the county could absorb some costs because of its stake in delinquent taxes.
No formal motion or vote followed public comment during the meeting; board members asked staff to note the request and to include it in conversations with the commissioners and relevant agencies.
