Property owner tells Bradford council sewage and storm runoff damaged basement, staff pledges follow-up

A property owner who identified herself by address told the Bradford City Council that sewage and subsequent storm runoff from a neighboring business flooded her parking lot and damaged the basement of 15 North Kendall, where she runs a counseling practice.

The comment came during the public comment portion of a council meeting. The resident said she and her husband contacted city officials as soon as they discovered sewage entering their parking lot and that personnel from code enforcement, the water authority and the sanitary authority inspected the site. “As soon as we became aware that sewage was entering our parking lot, we contacted city officials,” the resident said.

The resident told the council that although the business owner fixed the sewage leak, “it became evident that there was still a large quantity of water runoff from the business property” that flooded the parking lot and a walkway and uprooted multiple trees. She said one basement — at 15 North Kendall — had significant damage and that she was hesitant to begin repairs until the runoff issue was permanently fixed. “Our only concern at this point is making sure that that water runoff situation is permanently fixed prior to any repairs,” she said.

A city code enforcement and property maintenance staff member told the resident, “I oversee code enforcement and property maintenance. So, I will personally commit to you to looking into this with mister Palman,” and said staff would try to correct what the resident described, though no specific timetable or enforcement action was offered at the meeting.

The resident said crews had applied lime after the sewage incident but that there was no soil removal; she said debris and vegetation remained and that cleanup had not met her satisfaction. She also said insurance representatives and contractors had been contacted and that she and her husband had made efforts to comply with city and rental regulations.

Council members and staff asked questions about where the water was flowing and whether existing storm drains could receive diverted runoff. Staff and at least one council member discussed checking a storm line on Euclid and whether a basin further down the line could accept the water. Council discussion and staff comments focused on investigating drainage and contamination cleanup; the meeting record showed no formal motion or vote on enforcement or funding during the session.

The exchange closed with staff saying they would follow up with the resident and reexamine cleanup and drainage options. The resident asked to be updated when staff can confirm the water situation has been fixed so repairs can proceed.