Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Bradford’s former fire chief has been accepted into McKean County’s ARD program after being charged for illegally recording conversations with other city officials. 49-year-old Chris Angell was charged with a felony count of intercepting communications after other firefighters found a recorder with the conversations on it. After successfully completing the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program Angell may ask the court to have the charge dismissed and the case expunged. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Bradford City Fire Chief Chris Angell has retired, and assistant chief Rich Zmuda is now in charge of the department. Although no official announcement was made, the fire department’s pension board met before last night’s City Council meeting and voted unanimously to award Angell his pension. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Purchase of New Firetruck Approved By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Tempers flared during Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting. Foster Township supervisor chairman Jim Connelly Jr., who is also a landlord in the city, asked how the city plans on paying off its 2012 bond. Mayor Tom Riel said the city has set aside money for this year’s payment, and then started to explain why the city needed to borrow money, giving the “deplorable” condition of the streets as one reason. Connelly interrupted, saying he agrees the streets are in deplorable condition, but he didn’t need an explanation on why the city borrowed the money. He wanted to know if the city is going to have to raise taxes to pay it off. Riel asked if Connelly was finished; Connelly said he asked Riel a question; then they talked over each other for a few seconds. “Mr. Connelly,” Riel said, “here is how it works here: A citizen stands and addresses council and we respond. We don’t banter and go back and forth ...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The Special Police won’t be working in Bradford as we know them anymore. Mayor Tom Riel made an announcement during Tuesday’s City Council meeting saying, effective immediately, the city and Special Police no longer have a working relationship. City solicitor and city police chief Chris Lucco spoke with the media after the meeting to explain. Hollenbeck said after a question from a citizen he dug into the history of the organization as well as state law and “couldn’t find anything that made us comfortable” with continuing to use them. State codes say that having auxiliary police is OK, but they can only be used in emergency or disaster situations not, for example, to direct traffic during parades. The state also allows Special Fire Police, but they are connected to volunteer fire departments. Hollenbeck stressed that the Special Police are not disbanding, but having them work for the police department would be improper. “They will continue in so...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Questions about the sale of the Main Street Mercantile were raised during Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting. Calvin Court resident Patricia Demjan posed the questions. The Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corporation owned and operated the mercantile, but recently sold it to local businessman Todd Hennard. OECD Executive Director Sara Andrews, who is also treasurer of the non-profit DBRC, said Hennard approached them about the mercantile when he bought the building at 45 Main Street. “We felt it was time that the business be moved into the private sector,” Andrews said. “I think it will continue to grow and be an economic driver in our downtown community.” “It looks really nice,” Demjan said, then asked about the sale price. Andrews said the money the DBRC received went toward paying the old landlord and other expenses. The rest of the money will go toward promoting downtown activities. Demjan also asked why the it wasn’t put out to bid. A...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Snow plowing, snow shoveling, potholes and the cost of salt were addressed during Tuesday's Bradford City Council meeting. "There are many sidewalks in the city which have not been passable since the first snowfall in December," said councilman Fred Proper, who oversees the public works department. He noted that the city does have an ordinance regarding snow shoveling that says anytime there's a snowfall of 2 or more inches, sidewalks need to be cleaned within 24 hours. Proper said if someone has packed snow and ice on his property, but has attempted to clean it, he doesn't have a problem with that. "The problem is the sidewalks that truly have had no care. There are many properties in the city that no one has taken responsibility for. That's a major problem,” he said. “Those sidewalks are probably not going to get shoveled or cleaned up unless the neighbors choose to do it.” Proper stressed that cleaning the sidew...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Bradford residents are sick of crime and mischief-makers, and they’re not going to take it anymore. That was one of the themes of last night’s “interest meeting” for a Neighborhood Watch program in the city. Issues from drug dealers and burglaries to barking dogs and loud music were discussed by Bradford City Police Chief Chris Lucco, Officer Dave Feely, Project Pride Manager Lisa Keck and Main Street Manager Anita Dolan. Keck said as the program progresses and more people get involved “the comfort level for (the people causing trouble) to be out and doing something and getting away with it should diminish.” She said they will be saying “We don’t want to do this – they’re obviously paying attention.” “We’re not chasing people down the street with a club and hitting them over the head,” Keck said. “It’s coming together and being aware.” Dolan added that people don’t know their neighbors like they used to. This is “a process of becoming more obser...

She got away with it again. That’s how one Summer Street resident summed up the situation with landlord Edna Hallock moving new tenants into a house that had been infested with cockroaches last year. Steph Viola and several of her neighbors attended Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting to inform council that Hallock was moving people into the house. “We went through, literally, hell this summer,” Viola said. “To know that that house sits there tenant after tenant after tenant and it’s nothing but trash – It’s getting really bad. That’s it in a nutshell.” “I’m sick of living by this,” Viola continued. “It just broke my heart when I found out she got away with it again.” Bradford City Fire Chief Boo Coder left the council meeting to see if the property had a certificate of compliance, which would allow it to be rented out. After the meeting, Coder said Merle Silvis and Chris Angell had inspected it, so he could not keep the new tenants from moving in. At a Board of Health meeting in A...

One of the Bradford City firefighters injured while battling a blaze on Euclid Avenue this afternoon is being treated in a Buffalo hospital. Firefighter Todd McClain breathed in hot smoke and gasses, and is being treated at ECMC. Firefighter Greg Lewis was hurt when he fell from the roof of the house. He was treated at Bradford Regional Medical Center and released. Lt. Chris Angell said firefighters were called to 122 Euclid Avenue at 2:15 p.m. Heavy smoke and flames were showing when they arrived. Angell said they called a second alarm, which means all off duty personnel are called in and Derrick City is called to stand by at the East Bradford Station. Tower One, Engine One and Engine Two, along with 15 firefighters, were on the scene for almost 2 1/2 hours. The house was a total loss. Angell said Fire Chief Boo Coder is trying to track down the owners.