Trash talk: Illegal dumping draws ire of officials

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    ALBANY, Georgia (Albany Herlad) — An Albany dentist is fed up with trash, and he is not the only one as illegal dumping has been a persistent issue for many in the Good Life City.

Dr. Charles King brought his complaint on Monday to the Dougherty County Commission about property he owns in the 900 block of Mercedes Street after his latest notification from the Albany Code Enforcement Department.

“Code Enforcement sent me a letter (that) said I had to clean it up,” he said. “It seems like the better you keep it up, the greater for people to take advantage of it.”

The problem at the property stems from other people using it as a hangout, King said. While public rights of way are littered with debris that remains there for months, King said, he is held to a different standard.

“People come down there; they camp out,” he said. “They throw their cans down.”

While the county is not responsible for his issues with the city, King said there is a connection as the roadway in his neighborhood in unincorporated Dougherty County is seldom cleaned up.

Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said he recently had a similar experience with the city. After garbage was left on the grounds of Albany-Dougherty Payroll Development Authority property, the city was unable to assist the agency, which promotes economic development and on whose board he is a member. But, Cohilas said, there is little property owners can do but comply.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “I would go down to the city manager’s office with you and make the same complaint. I would hold a picket sign.”

Albany City Commissioner Jon Howard said he is unfamiliar with King’s issue personally, but Howard is making illegal dumping an issue.

Recently, he highlighted the illegal dumping of furniture at an alley in the 1600 block of East Broad Avenue and an illegal tire dump on property near the city/county line on Cutts Drive.

“That alley is not being used that much,” Howard said during a Monday telephone interview. “It’s just being spread through the whole alley. Some people just threw out an entire living room (set) and just dumped it in the alley.

“I am of the opinion individuals now are no longer considerate of their neighborhood or their community or their city.”

The tires were spotted by a driver who was picking up his child at a nearby school. The driver just happened to look to the side and see the tires behind a fence.

The city’s Public Works Department is placing roll-away containers in some neighborhoods in an effort to promote using them instead of illegally dumping, but without a great amount of success, the commissioner said.

Each fourth Thursday of the month, Howard takes a walk through a neighborhood with judges, the district attorney and a YMCA representative. He said during the group’s most recent excursion at the corner of South Carroll Street and East Broad Avenue, they encountered a sad sight.

“There was a vacant lot that had more bottles than Miller brewery can fill,” he said. “We all have been amazed at some of these areas we have walked in.”

The unsightliness of some parts of the city harms Albany in selling the city for economic development and is a quality-of-life issue, the city’s longest-serving commission members said.

“If we can’t get the citizens to take pride in their community, we have a long battle,” Howard added. “We’ve got some challenges, but a few of us can make a difference. But we’ve got to get a buy-in from the majority of the citizens of this community.”

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