At the June 13 Springfield City Council meeting Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams Jr. said he and Ward 4 Ald. Larry Rockford had received complaints about dumping of large items on city property on North Grand Avenue near the railroad corridor improvement project.
The aldermen did not discuss the impact on the people put out of their homes because of the railroad relocation.
The 1300 block of East North Grand Avenue contains a row of nine empty city-owned houses slated for demolition to accommodate the railroad. The last tenant to leave is Chantel Carson, who's been living at 1302 N. Grand Ave. for five years. She says she received a letter "from the railroad" about eight months ago that she'd have to move out before the end of June.
Carson said she wasn't in a position to move at that time, as she was caring for her partner who was sick with cancer. "He died about four months ago," she said. Carson's landlady has offered to allow her to live in a trailer she owns, but Carson has no way of moving her belongings. "They said in the letter that I'd get some help for moving," she said, but so far none has been forthcoming. A couple of men helped her clean out the house, but she does not own a truck. Her personal effects are scattered on the lawn.
Google Maps reveals a stark contrast between September 2022 when the road was photographed and today. The 2022 pictures reveal neatly trimmed lawns, some hydrangeas with autumn blooms, and an overall neat appearance. Today, overgrown yards predominate, with a sectional sofa turned upside down in front of one of the houses.
Public Works Director David Fuchs told the city council that the houses must be inspected for asbestos before demolition, but squatters have been encountered in some of them. "The inspectors don't feel safe going in, so we have to coordinate with the police" in order to carry out the inspections. Fuchs said the problem of fly dumping on those properties is acute. "It's not just a couple of trash bags, it's mattresses, furniture, yards and yards of carpet" and other large items, he said. "In a week, 10 days, it's been dumped on again."
Carson says the dumping occurs every day. "I pick up trash seven days a week from my yard," she said.
Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory reminded the gathering that the Illinois Union of Operating Engineers had offered to help with demolitions in the past for training purposes, and said he thought that might speed up the process. Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer proposed having Springfield police install a sky cam or trail cam that would serve as a deterrent. Ward 4 Ald. Larry Rockford agreed that cameras work. "You have to go searching sometimes through the garbage bags to find letters and open mail and this kind of stuff, but it works."
The city council members did not address the inconvenience and expense of disposing of items to the landfill as a factor contributing to fly dumping. The Sangamon County Landfill charges a $125 flat fee for truckloads up to 1,800 pounds, plus a surcharge of $18 for each mattress or box springs. Contrast this with the landfill which serves Greensboro, North Carolina. There, the tipping fee is $31 per ton with a $12 minimum. An 1,800-pound load costs $24.80 to dump.
Don Howard is an intern at Illinois Times while completing his master's degree in Public Affairs Reporting at University of Illinois Springfield. He can be reached at [email protected] or 336-455-6966.
