The Bradford City Board of Health ruled that three homes are public nuisances because of structural problems.
Mike Cleveland, the city’s building inspector and director of health, outlined the major problems of each of the three properties: 24 Rochester St., 92 Summer St. and 63 Forman St.
Cleveland said the foundation of 24 Rochester St., owned by CMT Enterprises, is falling, and the house is leaving to one side. The house is endangering the structure next to it, too.
“Collapse is imminent,” he said.
The structure at 92 Summer St. has been deteriorating for years, Cleveland said, explaining that Dennis Quick purchased the home at a tax sale with the intent of fixing it.
“He has failed to do almost any work at all,” Cleveland said.
He said the walls are separating from the floor, and the potential for collapse is made more dangerous because it is located about two feet from the nearest structure.
At 63 Forman St., owned by RBJ Catalogue, has been vacant for several years, Cleveland noted. The roof is collapsing, letting in rain and snow.
He said it looks like someone had bought it at some point with the intention of renovating it, but it’s been years since anyone has been working on it. A neighbor said cats can often be seen in the home.
The Board of Health agreed that all three should be considered public nuisances.
Meanwhile, the process of ridding the city of three other properties that were declared public nuisances in 2017 will start again from the beginning.
Cleveland explained that due to recent staffing changes, some paperwork was not complete and signatures were missing. Those houses are located at 15 Cole Ave., 8 Harris Court and 9 Harris Court.
After the three properties were discussed, Councilman Brad Mangel noted that many of the properties that come before the board had been sold to the owners from the McKean County repository.
“People have started with good intentions and found out that good intentions and the amount of money (needed for repairs) are not equal,” he said.
Mangel suggested that Bradford officials try to find out if a potential buyer has the resources before approving approving the sale.
Cleveland noted that many properties came into the repository because the owner died or lives out of the area. He said repository sales often mean there is now a local owner who can be held responsible for the condition of the property.
Cleveland agreed that buyers should have the resources to renovate homes so they can be put back on the tax rolls.
Another suggestion came from Councilman Tim Pecora, who asked if the Board of Health could meet more frequently, as they are getting a “bit of a backlog.”
City Administrator Teri Cannon said there has been discussion about trying to meet once a month, preferably on the same night as a regular city council meeting.
The date of the next meeting has yet to be set.
