Assembly Member Landon Dais, who represents the Highbridge area, is celebrating the successful cleanup of vacant lots near the historic bridge nearly five years after he first broached the issue with the landlord.
The lots at University Ave. and East 170th Street, steps from the pedestrian entrance to the High Bridge on the Bronx side, are owned by the Manhattan-based Olnick Organization. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
As a Highbridge resident, Dais noticed over time that the lots became an “epicenter” for illegally-dumped trash and overgrown foliage.
Long before being elected to office, he began documenting the problem and taking photos of the mess, including trash bags, wooden pallets and branches that began to obstruct the walkway.
Community members complained, and Dais said he tried to help by contacting the landlord and city agencies multiple times over the years. He also referred Olnick staff to a local nonprofit that employs youth to clean up trash, shovel sidewalks in the winter and other similar tasks. Nothing came of it, Dais said.
Then, on July 20, Dais witnessed a young man in a wheelchair who was unable to get through the greenery and had to veer into the street in order to access the High Bridge. Days later, Dais got a hedge trimmer and cut down some of the branches himself.
Jeffrey Pitts, Sanitation Department Chief of Cleaning Operations, visited the site and “was appalled by what he saw,” according to Dais.
Following the visit, the city obtained a warrant and spent Aug. 13 through 15 doing what should have been the landlord’s responsibility — cleaning the lots. Now, they’re cleaner than they’ve been in years, said Dais.
Battling trash dumpers and property owners isn’t easy, and Dais said broken sidewalks are still an issue at lots in the area owned by the Olnick Organization. However, the assembly member is committing $245,000 to install seven more cameras to deter and catch trash dumping in the district, which has become a major health and safety hazard, not to mention an eyesore, especially in wooded areas, like near the High Bridge, and in city parks.
“This is a win for everyone—our community, our youth, and the Bronx as a whole,” said Dais in an Aug. 15 statement. “It proves that when neighbors work together and stay persistent, we can hold absentee landlords accountable and make real, lasting change.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
