Heath residents say Bristol Valley work has blocked Long Branch Creek, causing flooding and property worries

Karen Wydra, a resident of 244 Mockingbird Lane in Heath, told the Heath City Council during public comment on April 30 that work at the Bristol Valley development has repeatedly blocked Long Branch Creek and caused standing water and erosion on nearby private property.

"They block the creek on numerous occasions which causes flooding on our property," Wydra said, adding that the creek stoppages have eroded the bank and affected a path behind her house that her household maintains. She said survey stakes were recently placed on her property without permission and that surveyors had been present frequently while the development was being laid out.

The complaint included alleged violations of posted construction hours. Wydra said the developer’s permitted hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. but described equipment noise and activity before 7 a.m., naming one incident at about 5:19 a.m. and another where work continued around 7:50 p.m. She said city staff told her to call the police about after-hours work.

Steve Wydra, who also spoke from 244 Mockingbird Lane, said he contacted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was told the developer did not have permits to block the creek. "I called the Army Corps and they never had any permits to do any blocking of the creek," he said. He also said city staff had told him the developer had not obtained city permission to block the creek.

Karen Wydra described additional safety concerns tied to construction activity: survey stakes placed incorrectly on private property, heavy trucks reportedly speeding on neighborhood streets and a temporary traffic signal placement during electrical work that caused vehicle backups at the neighborhood entrance. She said one water-truck driver passed "barreling down the road" and nearly struck her while she was stopped at the curb.

Council members and staff did not take action during the meeting on the development. A council member referred residents to city staff contacts and indicated staff had inspected and been in touch with residents. No permits or enforcement outcomes were announced at the session.

The matter was raised in the public-comment portion of the special session; the council moved later to executive session for unrelated personnel matters and reconvened without taking public action on the development complaints.

Residents who raised the issues asked for follow-up from city staff and for enforcement of working-hour limits and property-rights protections.