Bradford Board of Health affirms nuisance designation for 382 Congress Street; owner ordered to report progress every 30 days

The Bradford Board of Health on June 24 affirmed a public-nuisance designation for 382 Congress Street, ordering the property owner to report progress to city property maintenance every 30 days.

At a hearing that followed public complaints about refuse and safety at the house, the board voted unanimously to reaffirm the prior nuisance finding and to keep the property’s public-nuisance status in place while the owner makes repairs and returns utilities. The board’s action requires the owner to contact city property maintenance monthly with updates on work completed.

The hearing brought a full record of city inspections and neighborhood complaints. Michelle Cleveland, who identified herself as a resident of Abbott Road, told the board the city had recently sent crews to mow and remove trash at the address and asked, “I wonder what the change was, why we decided to do it today, and what’s the process going forward?” Her remarks echoed earlier concerns about ongoing public-safety risks and repeated police contacts in the neighborhood.

The property owner, Tara Hensley, acknowledged the exterior and yard problems but said the household fell into “a really bad financial situation earlier this year” and that a mortgage closing scheduled for the coming Friday would allow her to proceed with repairs. Hensley said she had $16,000 in credit-card debt and that new financing and adding a rental unit would produce enough revenue to begin remediation. She provided the board with financial documents and a timeline that, she said, would complete work “roughly the end of summer next year to the end of fall.”

Raymond Plowman, the city health director, testified as an expert on property maintenance and cited specific violations of the International Property Maintenance Code observed at the site. Plowman said photographs taken by city staff on June 16 and during a follow-up inspection showed removed downspouts, foundation deterioration, a missing or unsafe front porch, unsecured ingress points and a deficient electrical service drop. “The downspouts have been removed,” Plowman testified, and that removal “has caused severe deterioration” to the structure’s foundation.

Building inspector testimony corroborated the health director’s account. A city inspector said the property was not secured during the most recent visit and described missing roofing material on a side porch, deteriorated foundation blocks and windows that needed protective treatment or painting. Inspectors and the health director testified that restoring downspouts, stabilizing the foundation, repairing porches, correcting the electrical service drop and reestablishing utilities would be among the measures needed before the house could be re-registered as a rental.

Board members discussed options including removing the nuisance designation, continuing the hearing to a specified date, or reaffirming the designation. The board voted to affirm the nuisance designation and added a procedural requirement that the owner contact property maintenance every 30 days with status updates. The roll-call vote recorded Board Member Gallo, Board Member Lucas, Board Member Rio, Board Member Titapura and the Board President as voting yes.

The board also asked property maintenance to stay in regular communication with the owner to monitor progress. The hearing record notes the property had been previously condemned on Oct. 24, 2018, and that a sewage-related order was dated June 24, 2025. Photographs from June 16, 2025, were entered into evidence alongside more recent photos showing continued exterior deficiencies.

The board’s action leaves the public-nuisance designation in place; the owner may demonstrate progress to the city through the required 30-day updates and, if required repairs and utilities are restored and inspected, the board may consider removal of the designation at a later date.