Six more properties in the City of Bradford were added to the growing list of public nuisances at a Board of Health meeting Tuesday.
The first, at 152 South Ave., was owned by Melvin and Hosanna Stoltzfus. The property had been on the city’s nuisance property list, but had not yet been declared a nuisance, explained Fred Proper, board president.
Health director Brandon Plowman said the overall condition of the property was poor, with multiple broken windows and the interior of the structure being exposed to the elements for several years. Council approved the property as a public nuisance, and approved a hardship waiver for the owners as well.
The board also approved nuisance designation for properties at 19 Belleview Ave., 402 and 144 South Ave., 20 Maplewood Ave. and 96 Cornen St.
Attorney Tyler Hannah presented the properties to the board, while Plowman testified to conditional issues.
The property at 19 Belleview Ave. is owned by Dorothea Hale, who is deceased, Plowman said. The property maintenance department has searched for a caretaker for the property, but hasn’t found anyone.
“The concrete steps leading to the structure from the street are deteriorated and are now missing,” he said. The wooden steps leading to the porch are deteriorated, as is the porch itself. “The flooring is unstable and spongy. There is a large amount of rubbish and garbage including fencing that has collapsed and fallen over.”
The roof is in poor condition, too. There are no utilities to the property, he said.
Proper referred to pictures Plowman had taken of the property and structure. “The pictures really do show a lot of rubbish in the building itself. Is that a detriment to removing the structure when we have that much stuff inside?”
Plowman said it’s dangerous, as that “would be considered combustible materials that could easily catch fire.”
The property at 402 South Ave. is owned by Laura Hall, according to Plowman, who said they haven’t been able to contact her.
The condition of the property is poor, with the porch roof and porch collapsing. There are no utilities to the property. Plowman said, “There are multiple, maybe all missing or broken windows in this structure. There is a large amount of rubbish, garbage, debris, whatever you want to call it around the exterior of the structure.
“The interior of the structure is most likely dangerous,” he said. Sustained water infiltration has led to holes in the floor. “If they are there, they are bowed,” Plowman said of the floors.
The exterior walls are in poor condition with missing and deteriorating siding.
The structure at 144 South Ave. is owned by Roy Jones, whose last known address was in Alaska.
“The roof has a large hole in it and also has a significant amount of vegetation growing,” Plowman said. “The front porch is almost entirely deteriorated and is sinking.”
There are no utilities, and a rear door panel has been kicked in, letting animals freely access the structure.
“There were tracks in the snow coming in and out when I was up there,” Plowman said.
Addressing issues with the foundation, he said, “This house appears to be on piers or stilts and is sinking. The skirting around the structure is starting to bow.”
Proper asked, “Is there evidence this property has been stripped of wiring and copper plumbing?”
Plowman said, “It is a real possibility.”
For 20 Maplewood Ave., the owners live in Poland — the country, Plowman said, “I have not had any luck getting in touch.”
Proper said this was a case of the photos telling the story of the property.
Plowman added, “There is a large amount of deterioration from the ground up on this structure. The windows are all in poor condition, missing, broken or boarded.”
There is missing siding, and what is there is deteriorated, he said. “Metal roofing was installed over at least one layer of cedar shake shingles.”
The property is not secured, Plowman added.
The final property at 96 Cornen St. is owned by Wake Rocks LLC Daytona Beach, Fla.
“It appears that this property is being used as a commercial use,” Plowman said, “most likely storage for a construction outfit or whatever it may be.”
The roof is in poor condition, sections of the porch floor are “pieced together with cut sections of plywood or whatever may have been laying around,” Plowman said. There are two chimneys, both of which have missing mortar and the bricks are shifting. It appears the foundation is sinking, and an unregistered vehicle was towed from the premises.
Board member Kris Goll said, “I’m going to make a wild assumption there is no paperwork for (zoning)?”
Plowman said he’d checked on it, and there was no indication that there was.
