City didn't take out its own trash for 5 years

From the Times Ledger:

The president of a Queens Village civic association said a wooded area between the Grand Central Parkway and Stronghurst Avenue is being treated like a garbage dump — and the trash has sat there for five years.

Kathi Papa, president of the Bell Park Manor Terrace Community Council, said she was told recently that the city Parks Department, not the city Department of Transportation, is responsible for clearing the garbage. But the agency has not removed it.

“It’s been here for five years,” Papa said Friday as a reporter toured the area littered with dozens of garbage bags.

“They bagged everything, left it here,” she said, referring to the DOT workers. “The pattern is they come in with one group of guys, bag it and then a second group of guys takes it away.”

But she said it has been five years since a crew disposed of the most recent trash.

“That’s a lot of garbage to forget about,” Papa said.

The civic president said she called City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) about the problem last week and that he told her the Parks Department is responsible for the garbage removal.

“I’ve never seen the Parks Department over here,” Papa said.

About a month ago, Papa said, a homeless man settled in the area, ripping up some of the trash bags and living off its contents, including making a canopy for himself.