City of Scranton Council Responses | May 21, 2026

Council President Tom Schuster asked the following question(s):

• Mr. Schuster asked for a status and next steps regarding the property located at 903 Meadow Ave, condemned a while ago by the city and in the news regarding hoarding of the large number of cats. Neighbors report the property has many Quality-of-Life violations that continue and Council asks if there are any plans for cleanup?
  • The property located at 903 Meadow Avenue remains condemned and unoccupied.  The City has begun taking steps to determine the extent of any health risks which may be posed by the condition of the home and will take any necessary action based on that determination.
• Mr. Schuster asked, per Eric Paranich, a resident at the meeting, if city administration may escalate and assist Code Enforcement with the ongoing Quality of Life issues dealing with the property owner of 1622-1624 Lafayette Street. Mr. Paranich’s elderly grandparents rent at the property and the owner, Mr. Douglas Heine, continues to refuse to cooperate with the city and avoids regular inspections to resolve numerous safety issues. He also owns other problem properties in the city.
  • The property located at 1624 Lafayette St. is scheduled for a rental inspection on July 15. As discussed with Mr. Paranich, the Rental Registration Manager is unable to access the property prior to the inspection date because Mr. Paranich is not listed on the lease and his grandparents have not granted permission for entry. Accordingly, no further action can be taken until the scheduled inspection on July 15 unless access is authorized by the occupants before that date.
• Mr. Schuster also raised a concern about the condition of a property at 448 W. Market Street.
  • Code Enforcement, the Parks Blight Team, and DPW conducted a site assessment at 448 W. Market Street at the request of Council President Schuster.  There is a large pile of debris on private property that is fenced in and will create a challenge for the Blight Team and DPW to cleanup. The consensus is that the property owner should be required to clean up the area. During the site visit, Code Enforcement Officers took pictures in advance of infractions that will lead to citations and fines being leveled against the property owner.
• Mr. Schuster asked about standing water issues in the 1700 block of Dickson Avenue.
  • DPW can level the area with stone to promote drainage once we determine this is city property. They are waiting on Don King to confirm ownership of the property.  If the determination is that this is private property, this issue will be referred to the Code Enforcement Officer.
• Mr. Schuster requested the street sweeper to clean the alley between the 100 blocks of N. Cameron Avenue and N. Merrifield Avenue.
  • The alley and greater area were swept on Tues., May 19.
• Mr. Schuster also requested the street sweeper for the area of Brook Street and Blucher Avenue.
  • These areas were swept as of Wed., May 20.

Council member Dr. Jessica Rothchild asked the following question(s):

• Dr. Rothchild praised the work of the Parks & Recreation department and city at Nay Aug Park to date. She does have a concern regarding the older, wooden playground area, currently surrounding by the orange fencing. Does the city have plans to remove the structure and what are the plans specific to the structure?
  • The SMRA has informed us that they intend to remove the older play structure this week.

Councilman Sean McAndrew asked the following question(s):

• Regarding the basketball and pickleball courts at Nay Aug Park:
  • Will the courts be open all day and what time will they be closed and locked for the day?
    • Courts are open during park hours, 8 a.m. to dusk.
  • Will the parks manager be available to speak with residents during the day or within their work schedule, if staggered?
    • Yes.
  • Will there be leagues or instructors for individuals to learn pickleball?
    • A short-term league is scheduled for early summer, and they offer lessons.

Councilman Mark McAndrew asked the following question(s):

• Mr. McAndrew asked if Code Enforcement and LIPS reach out to the various Portable on Demand Container (POD) companies when their containers placed within the city violate local ordinances are not resolved with the renting parties, i.e. placement on streets or properties for long period of time, street safety issues, etc.?
  • File of Council 107 of 2015, which pertained to portable storage containers, was tabled by a previous Council and never brought back for consideration.
    Council is being provided four documents related to this past legislation

City of Scranton Council Responses – May 21, 2026 | PDF

Last modified: May 20, 2026