Prentice Park residents demand repair of raw sewage hole, allege worker PPE shortfalls and gas-line coordination failures

Residents of the Prentice Park neighborhood told Portsmouth City Council the city must immediately repair a raw sewage hole on Parker Avenue, and they alleged unsafe conditions for workers who have been draining the site.

Why it matters: Open sewage in a residential street is a public-health hazard and can require coordinated utility, public-works and contractor responses. Residents said the situation has persisted for months, that the hole has caused foul odors and pest issues, and that on-site workers lacked proper protective equipment when digging and draining sewage.

Kelly Ortiz, a Prentice Park resident who submitted a written petition signed by neighbors, read the letter at the podium and asked the council to “rectify this issue without further delay.” The letter said the hole between 1319 and 1313 Parker Avenue had been open for nine months, had produced foul odors and stagnant water, and had previously been the site of a ruptured gas line on Nov. 20, 2024 that required evacuation of three blocks. Ortiz also alleged that public-utility workers had been sent to drain sewage “without proper personal protective equipment” and said residents were told the city had no money for a fix.

Troya Wright, another Prentice Park resident, said a contractor hired about 10 years ago never properly connected the neighborhood’s sewage to the street pipe and that the city’s repeated responses had not permanently resolved the problem. “This has been going on for a while,” she said, and asked the council to avoid repeatedly hiring new contractors as a stopgap and instead complete a permanent repair.

Residents asked for specific outcomes: a timeline for repair, OSHA-compliant protections for public-works crews, coordination with utility companies (including the gas company involved in the earlier rupture) and acknowledgement of the public-health risks to children and elderly neighbors.

Council response: Council members acknowledged the complaint and directed residents to staff for follow-up; staff were referenced in the meeting as the point of contact for operational resolution. The council did not adopt a formal motion or set a public deadline at the hearing.

Ending: Residents asked for a response by week’s end in the submitted petition; the city manager’s office and public-utilities staff will need to provide a status update and timeline to address the reported health and safety issues.