The Warren County Redevelopment Authority met last Tuesday morning to discuss properties in Clarendon Borough and Glade Township.
Members of the authority voted to move the Wanda Miller property at 10 Railroad St., Clarendon, into conservatorship. Andrea Stapleford, the authority's solicitor, said the move won't give the authority ownership of the property but will allow it to control disposition of the property.
"Basically, we want to start the ball rolling," Chairman John Zavinski said.
The authority had tried to contact Miller after the Railroad Street property was transferred to her name from Mark Allen Truver.
"So in all reality she owns that property," Pam Matve, chief clerk, said.
"She owns that property," Stapleford said.
"So it's up to her to clean it up," Matve said.
Miller told the authority in September she had backed out of her plans to put a high-end women's clothing store on the property and that Truver had put the deed in her name.
Taxes on the property from 2009 and 2010 were paid in September and no taxes had been paid on the property from 2011, Stapleford said.
"Do we have any concerns of going down that road of conservatorship?" asked authority member Terry Hawk. "It's a new process for us; it's a learning curve we know that. Do we have any concerns that confront us right now?"
"Not really, it's like you said, it's going to be learning curve because this is going to be the first one," Stapleford said. "But I think once we do it once it will be a good tool for us to have."
The authority also discussed the 2393 E. Fifth Ave. property in Glade Township owned by Emily Hecei. Stapleford said she has not been in contact with Hecei and the authority agreed to try and contact her before moving into conservatorship to determine the next step.
Several people have expressed interest in purchasing the property, the authority said.
The authority tabled action on a number of other properties including 119, 121 and 123 Front St. in Glade Township and the Passinger property at 102 Cottage Pl. in Russell.
The authority will meet again on Tuesday, Jan. 15.