The city Redevelopment Authority on Friday approved a job description for the post of authority executive director, clearing the way for the city Human Resources Department to hire the first such RA leader in generations.

The city will conduct a nationwide search, according to new City Manager Christopher McGuire.

The department will attempt to get “maximum exposure” for the advertisements, so the authority can make a “quality” hire, he said.

The effort should take two or three weeks, but could be extended, McGuire said.

The executive director would manage day-to-day operations of the recently revitalized authority, “identifying blighted and underutilized properties for potential redevelopment” and “guiding the acquisition, rehabilitation and disposition of (such) properties,” in keeping with RA rules and when applicable, the Pennsylvania Urban Redevelopment Law, according to the job description.

The executive director would also pursue grants, loans and other kinds of funding in order to finance redevelopment projects, according to the job description.

Such efforts would be in service of helping revitalize the city and swell the property tax base, officials have said.

During the last few years, the city has sought to re-establish the authority in its former role as a robust municipal force, and the hiring of an executive director is seen as key to that, because the workload involved in locating properties and managing their development is considered too burdensome for existing city staff and for the volunteers who comprise the authority membership.

Minimum qualifications are a bachelor’s degree in urban planning, public administration, business, real estate or a related field, with five or more years’ experience and familiarity with the URL, local government operations and relevant federal and state regulations, according to the job description.

BPRC gets first new member

The authority Friday approved the first member of what is proposed to be a newly repopulated Blighted Property Review Committee.

He is authority member Allen Thompson, who was nominated by authority Chairman Richard Fiore and confirmed by a vote of authority members.

City officials want to reactivate the committee — it was formerly known as a board, when it was last active 17 years ago — so that the authority can take blighted properties by eminent domain.

Having that power will enable the authority to obtain and renovate salvageable buildings whose owners are unavailable or uncooperative, rather than allowing them to get to the point where there is no choice but demolition.

Demolition of severely blighted buildings is permissible without obtaining ownership, based on the city’s exercise of police power to eliminate threats to the health, safety and welfare of the community.

To declare a property blighted, the BPRC would need to see evidence of neglect, such as repeated code violations or deterioration like holes in the roof and caved-in floors, authority solicitor Patrick Fanelli has said.

To fill out the remaining committee slots, the Planning Commission must appoint one of its members, while City Council needs to appoint one of its members — along with two citizens.

Mayor Matt Pacifico will nominate those citizens, who are then subject to confirmation by vote of council.

Tax sale intervention planned

The authority on Friday authorized its staff to lodge “priority” bids at Blair County’s upcoming judicial tax sale for four parcels on the 100 and 200 blocks of Sixth Avenue.

The authority has the legal ability to intervene at the judicial sale prior to properties being exposed at auction, based on the authority’s status as a land bank.

A prior agreement with the county calls for payment of $10,365 for those parcels — three of which contain blighted houses, one of which is a vacant lot.

Two of the parcels are side by side.

The intent is to help clean up the neighborhood and prevent a “slumlord” from obtaining any or all of the parcels at the sale, said Diana White, director of the Community Development Department.

While there are currently no long-term plans for the lots, it’s possible that could change, if they can be bundled with other lots in the future, an authority member suggested.

The current owners of the properties can redeem them from the sale by paying the taxes and fees — “squaring up” — until the time of the sale.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.