Community Corner
After WTNH Intervention, Blighted Home on Svea Ave To Be Demolished
A home in Branford that's been an eyesore for over a decade is expected to be knocked down after a television news organization got involved.
For more than a decade, a home on Branford's Svea Ave has been an eyesore and a health risk, with holes in the roof, trash in the yard and broken windows attracting animals and vagrants.
And for almost as long, neighbors have been trying to get the property cleaned up, according to WTNH. They've called the town, and the town has sent letters to the property owner, Gerald Hartman, and yet the blight remains, according to the news website.
Frustrated, neighbors contacted WTNH, which got involved as part of the news station's "Have Your Back" segment. The news organization put pressure on the town and Hartman, and now Hartman has agreed to tear down the building, according to WTNH.
"I think it's great, if in fact it really happens. I mean, if it took notifying Channel 8 to get this done, I'm really happy about it, and thanks to Channel 8 for getting this done," said Wendy Nelson, a neighbor of the property, according to WTNH.
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