Bradford City Council on Tuesday approved improvements to two downtown Bradford buildings.
Council OK’d certificates of appropriateness for exterior changes to the Hotel Holley on Main Street and the Kennedy Street Cafe on Kennedy Street.
Council approved issuing a building permit to Joseph Troutman to repair and replace the cornice and paint the rear annex at 153 Main St. Plans call for the cornice’s sheet-metal ceiling, ledge and roof to be replaced with sheet metal and painted yellow. The brick annex and the wood exterior of the walk-in cooler at the rear of the property would also be painted brick red.
Members also approved a permit to Jim Derx to install white subway-type tiles, accented with black tiles, at the storefront, a red awning over the left entrance and a new hanging sign at the property at 11 Kennedy St.
After the meeting, Mayor Tom Riel said he is happy about the planned downtown improvements, saying that the ledge at the Hotel Holley has been a safety concern for several years.
In other business, council:
• Approved amending a one-way road, adding Congress Place from Chestnut Street to Congress Street and repealing Congress Place from Congress Street to Chestnut Street.
• Authorized city officials to sign a letter of permission for Google and Tuna Valley Trail Association representatives to collect visual data of the community parks trail for GPS/mapping purposes.
• Approved sale of properties from the McKean County Tax Claim repository. Those include 64 S. Ave., Bradford Sanitary Authority; 321 South Ave., Bryan Taylor and Jaime Sweet-Taylor; 325-55 South Ave., Bryan Taylor and Jaime Sweet-Taylor; and 17 N. Bennett St., Patrick Giordano. The sale of the properties is pending approval of the Bradford Area School District and McKean County Commissioners.
• Declined the sale of parcels from the repository, including 16 Fairbanks Ave., 25 Terrace St., 27 Terrace St. and 31 Terrace St. Those properties have been determined to be too far deteriorated to be renovated, city officials stated on the meeting agenda.
• Approved a $3,509.65 payment from the city’s general obligation bond of 2012 to the general fund to reimburse for repairs to Callahan Pool at Callahan Park.
• Approved a $61,875 grant to Lori Reed for the rehabilitation of 78 Clarence St. and a $64,025 grant to Kevin Wyman for the rehabilitation of 16 Kane St. to address lead hazards and code violations.
• Approved a $5,700 payment from the city’s Office of Economic and Community Development Small Cities Elm Street Neighborhood account to Hoffman Landscape & Fence for the installation of a fence at the rear of 52 Elm St. and the west side of a house planned at 15 Congress Place.
• Approved a $5,163.50 payment to Mailbox Appeal for the purchase of street light poles and fixtures to replace missing or damaged poles in the Elm Street Project Pride and Second Ward neighborhood revitalization areas.
• Authorized the city fire department to submit an application for an Act 13 unconventional gas well permit grant totaling $4,000 for firefighting equipment.
