State Towers owner facing fines, court hearing

Apr. 21—SHARON — The owner of the State Towers apartment building turned herself in to the Sharon district magistrate, incurring almost $7,000 in fines.

Nancy Duker, 49, of Los Angeles, Calif., was given 10 citations for failing to secure a rental license and ordered to return to District Judge Travis Martwinski's court May 11 for a hearing.

Joe Fusco, the former property manager who is no longer affiliated with State Towers, faces accusations of several code violations. His hearing is set for May 1.

Duker declined to comment. She also declined to speak to Sharon City Manager Bob Fiscus.

"We'd like to talk to her," Fiscus said. "We'd like to work with her."

While in the lobby of the district court, Fiscus tried to explain to Duker that a lot of people from her building are hurting.

Last week, the water and gas were shut off at State Towers, 632 E. State St., due to non-payment of utilities and because of a faulty boiler, with gas leaking for months. The water was shut off because sewer bills to the city were in arrears.

About 35 people were displaced.

"We would like her to participate in helping us fix the situation," Fiscus said. "She said she did not want to talk."

Fusco had said that the utilities were not paid because he was not receiving rent payments, which include the cost of utilities, from tenants. He said he was waiting on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to pay the rent.

The ERAP program is a federally funded COVID pandemic relief program administered by the Shenango Valley Urban League that helps renters pay rent and utilities.

Dr. Erin Houston, executive director of the Urban League, helped almost all State Towers residents sign up for ERAP and placed them in a hotel for about two weeks.

Houston said last week that State Towers had previously received "a nice amount" of funds from the ERAP program, before the building's utilities were shut off.

For longterm assistance, Ann Morrison, the county's chief clerk, said the county has pulled together a Mercer County regional resource team that was scheduled to meet Friday afternoon. The team will include representatives who are food providers, mental health providers, city officials, and anyone that might be able to fill a gap or need, Morrison said.

A recent city inspection found 60 fire code violations, including inoperable fire doors, a lack of smoke detectors and the leaking natural gas.

Fiscus, who also serves as the city's fire chief, said he thinks it's possible the building could be rehabilitated.

"We would like to see the building renovated and brought up to code," Fiscus said. "That would be the best solution, but we need a partner to do that. Whether it's the owner or she's passing it to the next person."

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com