By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER

marcie@bradfordera.com

The Bradford Board of Health shut down the New Keystone Tuesday night for a sewage leak coming from under the building.

The business, at 425 E. Main St., is owned by Kimberly Glenn, and has been involved with the Department of Property Maintenance since 2023 for conditional issues. This issue, however, had the board considering an “immediate remediation of an alleged public nuisance.”

Health director Brandon Plowman said he received a call last Friday about water coming from behind the building and running down the bank into a neighbor’s driveway. He went to investigate.

“I determined it was sewer coming out from under the structure itself and from the standpipe,” Plowman said. “There was quite a heavy flow of water coming down over the bank. I did observe toilet paper on the concrete of the neighboring driveway, up on the bank and it smelled of obvious sewage.

“It appeared to have been leaking for quite some time,” he said. The neighbors said they believed it had been going on since last fall.

It’s obviously detrimental to public health, Plowman said. “Whatever is being flushed needs to be directed to the appropriate facilities. It’s running into people’s driveway who are driving in it, walking in it. This water is leaching down into people’s basements and being ejected out into the general public through sump pumps.”

Water services were immediately shut off to stop the flow. Plowman said he called the owner, and left a voicemail detailing the problem.

“Can they be open to serve customers with no water?” asked board member Tom Riel. City administrator Eric Taylor advised Plowman to immediately contact Chris Salerno, restaurant inspector, to suspend the facility’s license.

Solicitor Mark Hollenbeck asked for testimony regarding the cause of the sewage problem. Plowman said “this was a clogged lateral that had caused the plumbing to become detached,” and it was all running out onto the ground.

“Is it reasonable to think a responsible business owner would notice this?” asked board member Kris Goll.

Plowman responded, “I would like to think so.”

He said he believed a plumber was at the property Tuesday to snake the line and reattach the lateral line.

The board, along with Hollenbeck and board counsel Tyler Hannah discussed what should be in the order, and timelines for action.

“Given that there’s currently no water, the city was concerned there are two residents living upstairs,” Hannah said. The order stated the premises must be vacated, the water could be turned back on to test the plumbing repairs, the ground where the sewage leaked needed to be removed, cleaned and the areas sanitized, including the neighbors’ properties; the inspector must approve the repairs and if all the requirements are met, the order can be lifted.

Time limits were imposed as well. The sewage leak must be remedied within 48 hours, and the remediation of the neighboring properties must be done within 72 hours, or the city will do it and the cost will be on Glenn.

“The business cannot operate until the entire Board of Health order has been taken care of,” Riel said.

On Wednesday, Riel said Glenn was “served an order from the Board of Health last night stating that she could not be open due to having no water and the sewage problems.”

Also at the meeting, status conferences were held for 44 N. Center St. and 388 South Ave., both registered as being owned by Ron Simmons.

Regarding the North Center Street property, Proper said Simmons should have submitted a timeline by March 21, but didn’t.

“I’m struggling to keep up with paperwork,” he said, adding, “I’ve been making progress” on the property.

He said he’s working on vinyl siding, and asked if Plowman could meet with him to tell him what he needs to complete to have the property up to code. Plowman agreed to, but said he would cite and fine him, too.

Goll explained to Simmons that every time they have to hold a hearing, they require a stenographer at a cost of $300. “We wouldn’t have needed her if you had provided us with the schedule.”

Simmons lamented that he had bought the property from the county repository “free and clear.”

“I didn’t expect all this to come down on my head.”

Goll said, “I’m not going to go down that rabbit hole with you. Are you going to pay for the stenographer for tonight?”

Simmons told Goll to send him the bill and he would pay it.

Regarding 388 South Ave., Simmons said he had sold the property, but the deed wasn’t transferred because the new owner had been hospitalized.

Proper told him to bring a signed purchase agreement to the city. Riel made it clear to Simmons that he is the property owner until the deed is recorded for a change in ownership.