SPRINGFIELD — Three weeks before a Ludlow woman was accused of dumping 1.5 tons of trash on a city street, the Board of Health in her own town voted to take her to court after fielding three years of complaints about her trash-strewn property.
While Ludlow officials ordered the owners of 38 Bristol St. to clean up the property multiple times to no avail, they didn’t plan for them to finally comply by being accused of dumping trash in neighboring Indian Orchard.
Last week, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno with Thomas Ashe, director of parks, buildings and recreational management, Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers and members of the police ordinance unit and Clean City division of the parks department publicly warned anyone who dumps trash in Springfield will be caught on surveillance cameras placed throughout the city and face substantial fines and other consequences.
Sarno accused the 38 Bristol St. resident, Elizabeth Botelho, of illegal dumping, saying she had been recorded strewing trash across Moxon Street, which abuts a conservation area and an apartment complex, on April 10 and returning a day later with a second load.
Botelho did not respond to requests for comment Monday and Tuesday.
The violation was so blatant and the crime so expensive — it took a crew of four at least three hours to clean it up and $1,500 to dispose of it properly — police are going beyond fines and have sought a criminal complaint in court with the hopes penalties will exceed the city’s maximum $500 fine and order her to pay for the cleanup.
“I hope the courts back us up,” Sarno said. “I hope the costs that were incurred can be recovered.”
He and others said the amount of trash dumped on a city street was disgusting, an affront to the residents who live on Moxon Street and a safety hazard since the narrow dirt street was inaccessible before the city removed the refuse.
Sarno also called her a “repeat offender.”
In Ludlow, the property on Bristol Street has been a nuisance since 2022. Over the three years, the town has fielded 11 complaints about the condition, had eight police responses, issued six initial orders and followed them up 14 times. The town issued one $100 fine which was ignored, said Paulina Matusik, the health director.
Multiple people who live on Bristol Street testified during a Board of Health meeting March 19 complaining about the unsightliness, foul smells and rats coming from the piles of trash. They said a dumpster, car and trailers parked on the sidewalk are a hazard.
Many, who arrived with photographs of the property, declined to give their names saying they are concerned about retaliation.
“I hope you can resolve this for us because it is getting absolutely ridiculous,” said Ann Van Aller, a neighbor. ”The street is disgusting.”
Trailers, a car and a dumpster on the sidewalk and along the street create a wall that blocks visibility while another neighbor said her grandson has had to walk in the street to get to the bus because the sidewalk is blocked, which is especially a concern in snow and ice storms.
“When I moved here five years ago, I didn’t have any issues with the neighborhood,” another resident said. “All of a sudden, it has progressed to something big and the next thing I know the sidewalk is blocked and you can’t see up the street.”
Matusik said owners have been informed several times that they need permits to have a dumpster on the property but they have never complied with orders to do so. Residents also said the owners have four dogs and questioned if they are licensed with the town.
The Police Department has towed the trailers because it is illegal to block a sidewalk and have assisted the Health Department by delivering cleanup orders and responded to other code violation complaints, Police Chief Daniel Valadas said.
“That house has become an absolute pariah of the neighborhood,” he said. “It is an eyesore. It is an absolute mess.”
Valadas applauded Springfield for filing a criminal complaint against Botelho for illegal dumping and said his department would cooperate with the city in any way possible to help the neighborhood.
One resident also questioned why owners have only been hit with one $100 fine over the three years, saying they should be fined repeatedly.
Instead, the Board of Health voted to work with the Board of Selectmen to seek out civil complaints in court to order the property cleaned, on the advice of Stephen Chaplin, the lawyer who represents the town.
“I don’t think additional fines will motivate the owners of the property,” Chaplin said.
Read the original article on MassLive.