The Bowling Green-Warren County Contractor’s Licensing Board on Wednesday voted unanimously to revoke a license for local contractor Tai Nguyen after he was found to be in violation of several city rules.

Nguyen was issued a general contractor’s license on Sept. 25, 2024. The board’s revocation order states that on May 2, city code citations were issued against Nguyen for “illicit discharge of sewage” at 1960, 1964 and 1956 Stonehenge Ave.

Chad Doughty, a civil engineer for Bowling Green Public Works, said during the meeting that things were so bad that an emergency response was needed and some “emergency septic tanks” were put in place.

“Sewage was running off and downhill … and running off site, just being let to run loose,” he said.

Doughty said this problem was found because complaints were made after Nguyen hit an underground gas line twice in the area.

The revocation order states a complaint was made to the board by Bowling Green Public Works stating that Nguyen was “not in compliance with their office.”

“… He was excavating a trench to try to solve the problem without any permitting, discussions … anything,” Doughty told the board. “The gas company at that point made a call, and then it escalated from there. It was just a mess.”

Stop work orders were placed on several projects Nguyen was working on “as a result of non-compliance with several offices,” a board memo states.

The stop work orders concern two commercial units located at 111 W. 14th Ave. and some commercial addresses along Garfield Street, along with a residential unit at 229 W 14th Ave.

Nguyen was not present for the vote and did not make a request for a hearing.

Holly Warren, executive director of the board, told the Daily News that after the sewage spill happened, personnel from state agencies and even the Environmental Protection Agency arrived in town to assess the situation.

She said Nguyen also owes nearly $23,000 in unpaid fees and taxes from 12 different LLCs that Nguyen has created.

Nguyen spoke to the Daily News on the revocation. He said when the sewage leak along Stonehenge happened, he was working to replace a pump that connects nearby residential units to the city’s sewage lines.

The pump was replaced, but Nguyen said a clog in the line led to the overflow. He learned about the issue after he got a phone call about bad smells in the area.

As for the gas line, Nguyen said he called 811 and had the line flagged, but the line was still hit.

Though he was given three weeks to request a hearing from the board, Nguyen said he was focused on fixing the issues at Stonehenge.

“I don’t want my property to blow up with gas or (have) more dirty water come out,” he said.

As for future plans, Nguyen said, “I learned my lesson.”

“I love to make things look beautiful,” he said. “That’s why I buy old (houses) and make them look nicer … I just try to do too much.”