NEIGHBORHOOD BLIGHT REMEDIATION CONTINUES CITY-WIDE
Harrisburg, PA – Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced additional actions that have been taken over the past month to combat illegal dumping that occurs in the City of Harrisburg. Reed said four arrests have been made in connection with seven separate dumping instances. Each offender has been charged with several counts of illegally dumping debris and in at least half of the instances, the offenders are not City residents and traveled from their home community to dump in the City.
Reed said each of the seven recent incidents occurred in the Allison Hill area. Four of the incidents occurred in areas where cameras have been installed, leading to the identification of the perpetrators.
Reed said the new surveillance cameras were purchased through a Weed and Seed grant received from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, to aid in the policing of illegal dumping that consistently occurs in Census Tract 213, which is South Allison Hill. Rotating cameras have been randomly placed to track the illegal dumping. The Weed and Seed Program continues to be very proactive in remediating blight that occurs in their South Allison Hill neighborhood of the City, which is bounded by Cameron, South 18th, Market, and Paxton Streets.
In another proactive measure, Mayor Reed said that he has formed a new team called the Mayor’s Nuisance Abatement Squad. This Squad continues ongoing City efforts to address and remediate issues of blight throughout the City of Harrisburg and includes existing City staff.
"Blight eventually leads down the path of deterioration of not only properties, but neighborhood quality of life," said Reed. It is clear that blight drives down property values for homeowners, can serve as a target for arsonists and serves as a message that it is okay to blight an area," Reed said.
Reed said City crews in 2007 removed 909,480 pounds of illegally dumped debris. This year, as of the end of September, that total is 693,140 pounds. "Much of this has to be removed by hand, which is very time-consuming," he said.
"The illegal dumpers generally involve private trash haulers paid to remove and properly dispose of trash but who drive around to find an open area or alley in which to dump, thus pocketing extra profit for their work. Others are contractors avoiding the cost of disposal of building materials. Still others are landlords emptying out apartments or homes and to save the cost of disposal, throw the items wherever they wish. Some are businesses or citizens who do the same.
"Of those who have been caught and arrested over the years, it is appalling how many come from outside the City, who drive into Harrisburg to look for a place to dump their debris. I can only imagine the reaction of residents in those places if City residents did the same. Illegal dumping, regardless of who does it or where they are from, demonstrates a peculiar attitude and disregard for a community and a neighborhood. We want to catch every one of them," Reed stated.
"Illegal dumping is an ongoing problem that is a challenge in most parts of the City," said Reed. Recently, the Nuisance Abatement Squad addressed an area in the Uptown neighborhood on Saul Alley. In this location, workers removed 11,000 pounds of debris but were not able to identify the illegal dumpers.
Bob Jackson, owner and operator of Jackson Enterprises, is one contractor engaged by the Mayor to help eliminate blight. Mr. Jackson commented, "It was really bad up there. It was to the point where it was garbage. Most of the time when we pick up, we pick up bulk items and cut down trees, but this was garbage. It took nearly five days to clean up Saul Alley. What made it bad was it was not isolated to one spot, it was the entire alley, including Curtin Street. I think once the word gets out that there are surveillance cameras, you will see the illegal dumping slow down."
Reed said that the City’s blight remediation and dumping efforts are not isolated to one specific neighborhood. The Mayor’s Nuisance Abatement Squad is tasked with addressing illegal dumping throughout all parts of the City.
In September, the Mayor signed into law Bill No. 17-2008, a City Littering Ordinance that the Mayor submitted to Council that will regulate littering and other related activities that adversely affect the aesthetic and visual appear of the City’s public places, neighborhoods and private premises. This ordinance offers up to a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who illegally deposit debris. "Litter affects the community and the residents who live there. It can also have a detrimental effect on the neighborhood economy and tourism," Reed said. "This law allows residents to reap benefits in two ways. First, a monetary reward is being offered, and secondly, better and cleaner neighborhoods will result from neighborhood action."
For more information on this activity or to report illegal dumping, contact the City’s Communications Center at (717) 255-3131.
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