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Residents press council on demolition delays, apartment maintenance, pump stations and uncovered city trucks
Summary
Multiple residents used non‑agenda and public‑hearing time to press Portsmouth officials about slow demolition enforcement, substandard apartment maintenance, sewer/pump station clarity and uncovered city trucks spilling debris; staff committed to follow up and to provide facts and next steps.
Several Portsmouth residents raised infrastructure and code‑enforcement concerns during public hearings and the non‑agenda comment period on April 8, asking the council for clearer timelines, stronger enforcement and written responses.
Demolition, vacant lots and enforcement
Brenda Rockwell (1701 Atlanta Avenue) told council a burned house at 1701 Camden Street has remained a nuisance since April 2024 and described repeated city inspections with “promised action” but no final cleanup. She said inspectors told her owners can begin demolition, stop, then resume—resetting the six‑month timeline—and that the cycle allows work to be delayed indefinitely. “It feels like there's this vicious loop that he can just keep going out there, doing a little work, and stopping and starting,” she said, and asked council to examine enforcement tools.
Council response: Manager Carter asked for specifics and directed staff to follow up; council members and the city attorney said they would review relevant facts and the ordinance timelines and asked the speaker to submit requests through 311 so staff could track and respond.
Apartment maintenance and tenant complaints
Elsie (LC) Levine, a new resident at Chesapeake Pointe Apartments (6509 Bickford Lane, Apt. 204), reported broken appliances, limited laundry capacity, malfunctioning air conditioning in summer months and delayed maintenance. She said the property manager had removed washers and dryers and failed to repair a dishwasher promptly. Levine asked the city to ensure inspections and fair representations by property managers.
Sewer pump stations and backups
Sheila Joseph raised questions about sewer pump stations in the city and said residents have experienced backups and disruptions; she asked how many pump stations the city plans to install, the timeline for deployment and total costs. City staff acknowledged ongoing work, cited recent camera inspections and said contractors able to work at greater depth were on site for specific repairs; the manager said staff would provide the status of pump‑station projects and related costs.
City vehicles spilling debris
Longtime resident Steve Whitehead (4419 County Street) cited Code of Virginia provisions requiring loads to be covered and complained that city trucks carrying debris to the landfill are not consistently tarped, leaving debris on roadways. He read Code of Virginia §46.2‑11506 and urged the city to equip or repair spring‑loaded tarps on trucks to stop recurring debris on drives and bridges.
Manager and staff follow‑up
Manager Carter and other staff told speakers they would follow up on specific cases: directed staff to take Rockwell's contact information and have inspections staff respond; Carter said contractors were on site to address sewer repair work described; the city attorney asked council members to forward any proposed funding sources or ordinance changes before the May budget adoption so legal staff could prepare appropriate draft language.
Why it matters: The issues raised affect life‑quality concerns—public health, blight, property rights and roadway safety—and include calls for more transparent timelines and more consistent enforcement of existing city rules and state law.
