Bradford Board of Health keeps 18 Interstate Parkway a public nuisance, gives owner 90 days to show repairs

The Bradford Board of Health voted to maintain a public-nuisance designation for 18 Interstate Parkway and gave the property owner 90 days to provide a written scope of work and timeline for repairs, followed by a city inspection, the board said at a hearing.

The decision keeps in place a condemnation that the city issued May 8, 2024, and a subsequent public-nuisance order dated Nov. 12, 2024, according to testimony at the hearing.

Appellant Gary Diogarty, the property owner, told the board he had water in the basement after a prospective buyer shut off the property’s electric service and said he expects the house to be "move-in ready" by the end of March or shortly thereafter. "By March, it'll be move in ready," Diogarty said, adding that he has a sump pump and that the buyer, Steven Deitz, plans scope work including a complete kitchen renovation.

Brandon Plowman, the City of Bradford health director, testified as an expert for the city and described code violations he observed during inspections. "This tree is extremely overgrown, extremely large, and is overgrown over top of the structure and it is dead," Plowman said. He said the roof is heavily covered in moss, several windows are vacant, a side entrance door was open or barricaded from the inside and did not meet code, the front porch decking and railings were deteriorated, and the garage and rear decking were in poor condition. Plowman testified there was still an accumulation of exterior debris around the garage and that some interior trash had been removed while construction materials for renovation remained.

Plowman advised the board that the property would have to satisfy several conditions before it could be reoccupied: water authority sign-off, an active gas service and primary heat source, payment of rental registration fees, at least one rental inspection, removal of the large tree, and submission of any contractor documents to the city.

After discussion the board made and seconded a motion to keep the public-nuisance designation in place and to require the property owner to provide a scope of work, completion dates and regular follow-up with the city within 90 days. The board also recorded that under city code a 30-day timeline is typical but that the board may set a different schedule; the board adopted the 90-day follow-up. The board noted the property may not be occupied until applicable hazardous-structure and rental-inspection requirements are satisfied.

The hearing included back-and-forth on timing: Diogarty and Deitz said the buyer is performing much of the work and that the timeline could stretch into April depending on the extent of renovations, especially the kitchen. Plowman and the city requested written follow-up (photos and documentation) so staff can re-inspect the property.

The board’s motion passed; the transcript does not list a detailed roll-call vote tally. The board later adjourned the meeting.

Next steps: the property owner is to submit a written scope of work and schedule within 90 days and coordinate inspections with city staff; the property cannot be reoccupied until the city has cleared it through the hazardous-structure and rental-inspection processes.