By Jimmy Jordan, Ithaca Voice
ITHACA, N.Y. — The City of Ithaca was ordered to clean up a waste-strewn part of the homeless encampments, commonly known as “the Jungle,” after it was designated as a public health hazard.
Tompkins County Environmental Health (TCEH) sent a notice of violation to the city on April 9, ordering officials to form a plan to clean a triangular strip of city-owned land by May 10. Under the sanctioned encampment policy the city adopted last year, the area is not permitted for camping. The area has long been the site of people living in makeshift shelters.
The part of the Jungle the city has been ordered to clean is bordered by a railroad track, Six Mile Creek, and the Cayuga Lake flood control channel in Ithaca’s West End. Watco, the company that manages the railroad property, was also ordered to participate in a clean-up plan as well.
Elizabeth Cameron, TCEH’s Director of Environmental Health, wrote in the notice of violation that the location is just one “in a larger area that may present a public health nuisance or public health hazards.”
The refuse cited in the notice violation includes bicycles, shopping carts, hypodermic needles, and garbage.
In addition to cleaning the area up, the city has also been ordered to develop a plan to prevent the area from becoming a public health hazard again.
“Considering the complexity of the problem, we are currently limiting the scope of this Notice of Violation and focusing on the location noted above where some of the most significant violations have been observed,” Cameron wrote.
City officials discussed the notice of violation at the April 10 Common Council meeting.
Mike Thorne, the city of Ithaca’s superintendent of public works, said that while the city needs to form a plan by May 10, it might take until the end of 2024 before the entire area is cleaned. Thorne offered a rough estimated cost of $125,000 to $150,000 to clean the area up.
“We’re in the process of formulating a plan,” Thorne said. “The amount of debris and garbage out there is incredible.”
Thorne said the city will need to coordinate with the railroad’s management company, Tompkins County Solid Waste, and the county health department to conduct the clean up. He added that any part of the clean up effort that extends into waterways will require permitting from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
A spokesperson for the DEC confirmed in an email that the agency is working with the city on the necessary permits as the city develops a cleanup plan for the waters of the Cayuga Inlet, its tributaries, and the surrounding area.
Thorne said Wednesday he hadn’t been given a clear indication if the county environmental health intends to serve more notices of violation
“We certainly have other encampments. Behind Lowe’s is one that is really growing. We’re not sure how we’re going to deal with that yet, but we’re just taking it one step at a time,” Thorne said.
This story appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.