East Rock Park issues are still being routed to Hamden rather than to the New Haven Parks Department.

I'll check with East Rock Park Ranger Barvir to see if he (or the NH Parks Dept Director) can come up with a timeline for removal of the debris.

acknowledged on 1-02-2018

I've sent the following e-mail message to Ranger Dan Barvir at East Rock Park....

Hi Dan…

I’ve received two new SeeClickFix complaints regarding the East Rock Park dumping that was reported back in November (see below).

I realize that you’ve been inundated with illegal dumping reports, but now that the snow has lifted I was wondering if you could establish a timeline to address the situation off Farnam Drive.

The SCF app is still directing these complaints to Hamden, but we’re working to resolve that geo-tagging issue.

Thanks !!
Tom Vocelli
IWEO – Town of Hamden
203-287-7001

From: Dan Barvir [mailto:DBarvir@newhavenct.gov]
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2017 8:37 PM
To: Thomas L. Vocelli; Rebecca Bombero; William Carone
Cc: Daniel Kops; Gary Dickinson
Subject: Re: dumping in East Rock Park

Thanks for the heads up
Reports like yours are coming in daily.
Illegal dumping seem out of control.
We will address matter as soon as possible.
Thanks again

________________________________________
From: Thomas L. Vocelli
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2017 5:30 PM
To: Rebecca Bombero; Dan Barvir
Cc: Daniel Kops
Subject: dumping in East Rock Park

We have received two reports of illegal dumping in East Rock Park.

The SeeClickFix app directed the complaints to Hamden, but I assume this is something that New Haven Parks & Rec would want to address….

If you descend (head south) on Farnam Drive from Davis Street in Hamden you will first pass the main Park entrance road on the left. Keep going. Halfway between that point and the closed-off loop road (about 1/4 of a mile further down/south) you will see the upholstered stuff chucked down off the side of Farnam Drive (on the west side of the road). Then keep going until you hit that little closed-off loop road, park there, and again look down/southwest off of Farnam Drive and you will find the tires, mattress/box spring, and other surprises.


Thanks !!
Tom Vocelli
IWEO – Town of Hamden
203-287-7001

Bill Carone of New Haven Parks & Rec has responded to my e-mail message regarding the debris off Farnam Drive:

Hi Tom,

Now that all the snow has melted (hope it stays this way) we are looking to schedule cleanup soon. These are difficult and dangerous dumping spots for my staff. We will have to use rope and a winch to grab the sofa. For the tires, we might need to gain access from the Eli Museum.

When I have the opportunity to start I’ll let you know

Talk soon,

Bill C

Since Bill Carone's staff will be removing the debris (see previous comment), I will re-direct this complaint to the City of New Haven.

Inland Wetlands Agent assigned this issue to City of New Haven

This dumping issue plus SCF #3906702 has been taken care of by New Haven Parks Department. We appreciate Hamden's assist and follow up to ensure it is resolved. We are closing this issue and if others in East Rock Park should occur be assured that Hamden will forward it to us. Thanks

Many thanks to New Haven for resolving this complaint !! (and a note to Reporter Rob Rocke: it looks like New Haven Parks & Rec is on top of the situation. Maintaining the park is a tough job -- especially during winter-- and they do it well)

Thanks for the update "Inland Wetlands Agent." (I would be great to have a name to go with your title.) I've always been a champion of the hard work that the New Haven Parks staff is doing in an underfunded time. My persistence on the littering and dumping issue has been more of (1) a frustration with getting the SCF tickets properly routed to New Haven rather than Hamden, and (2) a frustration when the tickets sit around for an extended period with no comment or feedback from anyone. Even a brief comment in the tickets to acknowledge the issue and give an approximate timeline for a resolution would be helpful. And finally (3) I completely agree that it's a "tough job" and the fact that it seems impossible to keep up only highlights the urgency of the problem and that we're not experimenting enough with "creative" solutions to work toward a long-term change in the culture of littering and dumping. Two specific examples would be to try a much more visible ENFORCEMENT approach (so far I have not seen this taken seriously by the NHPD) as well as an EDUCATIONAL approach (ditto New Haven's lame attempt at a "Clean City" campaign). Thanks again for staying on top of these tickets.

We'll keep in touch if & when needed.

Tom Vocelli
Inland Wetlands Agent - Town of Hamden