STROUD TOWNSHIP -- Vandals have once again targeted an old resort that has become an eyesore in the Poconos.
Penn Hills Resort near Stroudsburg was hit with lots of graffiti and now township officials are trying to track down the owner.
Penn Hills Resort sits on more than 60 acres of land outside Stroudsburg and was a vacation haven back in the day. But the resort closed five years ago and had become a frequent target of vandals.
Now Stroud Township wants the owners of the property to do something about it.
Once a vacation destination, Penn Hills Resort along Route 191 in the Poconos has seen better days. Just this past week the place near Stroudsburg was hit by graffiti artists and hit hard.
"Run down, broken down. It needs a major overhaul. Tractors, they ought to come in and tear everything down," said Michael Coppola, owner of Coppola’s Pizza.
The current owners are listed as Penn Resort Investments, LLC. It has a P.O. Box in Blakeslee, but that’s about as much as you can find on record. It bought the place in 2012.
Stroud Township officials say they want to get in touch with who holds this troubled property and try to turn things around.
"In light of the recent graffiti, it's gotten our attention, we're going to reach out to the property owner examine some of the buildings potentially and see if there's any dangerous or dilapidated components that would affect public health or safety," said Stroud Township planning administrator John DeCusatis.
Penn Hills Resort closed in 2009. Police say that from then until 2012 more than 60 incidents were reported, everything from vandalism to theft and trespassing. Recently things had been quiet until now.
“The prior owners did patrol their own property with cars. Now there's absolutely nobody there providing any patrol. We're not going to get a call, but things could still be going on though,” said Stroud Area Regional Police Captain Brian Kimmins.
Despite the recent vandalism, the current owners are still trying to sell the place. They just dropped the price by $40,000. They admit the property needs some work, but say it's a great opportunity that includes so much.
Inside are heart shaped Jacuzzis, more than 45 hotel rooms, an ice skating rink, indoor and outdoor pools.
Workers down the road at Coppola’s Pizza say none of it is really worth keeping.
“You're talking no heat, no plumbing, no electricity, no heat, it's got to be taken down, I think," said Coppola.
"It'd be nice if somebody did the right thing and used the property wisely,” said Coppola.
Stroud Township says if the current owners don’t cooperate the township could eventually demolish the old resort and put a lien on the property.