Baldwin Borough code enforcement officer always on the job

As Anthony Asciolla drives around Baldwin Borough each day, he sees things that are out of place, grass that's over grown and weeds encroaching into public space.

He often scribbles a reminder on his hand to go back and check on the issue and make sure people are aware of the rules and following them.

“People always assume that when they get a letter from the borough that one of their neighbors called and complained, but it's more that I'm driving by writing things on my hand,” Asciolla said.

Baldwin Borough hired its first in-house code-enforcement and zoning officer in several years in 2014. The borough, since 2010, had contracted out services for the work to a third party, borough manager John Barrett said.

This June marked one year that Asciolla, who previously worked as a code officer in Wilkinsburg, has been Baldwin's full-time code-enforcement officer.

This has allowed the borough to take a more proactive approach on enforcement of code violations, Barrett said.

In the last year, Asciolla has responded to 400 complaints for code violations. He also has completed more than 940 occupancy inspections and sent out more than 300 letters alerting residents of violations.

With a third party, enforcement mostly was complaint driven, Asciolla said. Now, he spends most his days returning calls to residents or business owners to explain the borough's rules or driving around the town to complete occupancy inspections or business inspections — often seeing other problems that need fixed on the way.

This year, between 30 and 40 letters have been sent out to residents regarding overgrown grass.

Previously, for occupancy-permit inspections, the borough charged $60 but paid the third party $55 to complete the inspection, Barrett said.

Still, the borough has spent about $15,000 more in the last year on code enforcement.

“There's just more activity, more enforcement,” Barrett said.

Asciolla's first project, he said, was tackling code violations at the borough's largest apartment complex, the Residences of South Hills.

He filed 44 citations for code violations in six buildings at the complex, which were withdrawn because the buildings were brought up to standard, he said.

“We tackled that,” Asciolla said. “It gained more of a good dialogue between us and their management.”

He now is at the complex about once a week for residential inspections — looking over an apartment to make sure it's inhabitable for a new tenant.

Asciolla has made “tremendous progress” on getting the complex's owners to put alarms in buildings and install fire doors, council President Michael Stelmasczyk said.

Asciolla also completes fire-safety inspections, an annual inspection at all commercial businesses.

“Me being able to go into those businesses and get to know them and have a good repertoire with them is important,” Asciolla said.

When Asciolla spoke to Baldwin council in June to talk about his first year on the job, he asked for updates to borough ordinances to reduce blight.

“We have a stable community that's not plagued with blight, but there are pockets of it,” Barrett said.

The borough manager praised the code officer for his work with a resident whose home was flooded in June and deemed uninhabitable. The elderly woman, living near Willett and Schuette roads, was forced to move out after the utility meters were pulled from her home, Asciolla said.

“Anthony stepped in, kept in touch with this woman, plugged her in with some social services,” Barrett said. “He went beyond where we normally would have gone to make sure that she was accounted for.”

Asciolla said he wants residents to understand that borough rules have reasons behind them. Most violations he sees are for tall grass and overgrown weeds.

Citing people is not the ultimate goal.

People come into the borough offices with concerns. Even a Pittsburgh Steelers player stopped by wanting to know the rules for making improvements to his property.

“I'll answer any questions. Just call,” he said.

Stephanie Hacke is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-388-5818 or shacke@tribweb.com.