Deadline given for property cleanup
Antis Township tells Stoy family they have 45 days to address issues
The Antis Township supervisors this week gave a Grassmyer Lane family 45 days to demolish a trailer and to decommission a failed septic system, so the parties can settle a long-running enforcement issue.
John Stoy and his wife and son have begun to demolish the trailer, even as they’ve begun transitioning to a house on their property where Stoy’s father lives — an effort that has been gradual, to avoid overwhelming Stoy’s father, who has Alzheimer’s disease and is easily thrown off-kilter, Stoy told the supervisors in a “red-tag” hearing.
The septic system that serves the house is functional, but the one for the trailer has been problematic for years, even after the nonworking drainfield was sealed, and the system became a holding tank, as the tank wasn’t pumped out as often as needed, causing overflows onto a neighboring property, said officials at recent meetings.
The family had the tank pumped regularly, according to Stoy.
The Stoys considered replacing the trailer’s septic system, but were stymied because they were ineligible for PENNVEST funding, due to a rule that disallowed payments for properties that already have a system in place, according to Stoy.
That put the family in a “quandary,” Stoy said.
Still, the Stoys have been making progress in recent weeks, after they received the red-tag notice and obtained a demolition permit, said Supervisors Chairman Brian Kustaborder, adding that he had observed two dumpsters on the property.
“I want to make sure it keeps rolling,” Kustaborder said.
Finishing the demolition shouldn’t take long, provided he can get the necessary help, Stoy said.
An electrical problem over the weekend added to the family’s difficulties, Stoy said.
The compliance issues connected with the trailer septic system have led to placement of a lien on the property, according to Luke Helsel, Sewage Enforcement Officer for the Blair County Sanitary Administrative Committee.
The Stoys will need to have the trailer septic tank pumped out and either filled with stone or sand or some other material — or else crushed, officials said.
Following that effort, Helsel will document that the system is gone, and submit the paperwork to the state Department of Environmental Protection, he said.
“Thank you for cooperating,” Kustaborder told the Stoys. “Good luck with your property.”
The Sanitary Committee serves 13 townships in Blair County and four in Bedford County, according to Helsel and an Antis Township web page.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.