Commissioner Jon Howard “shocked” & “petrified” by “the biggest one” illegal dumping site in east Albany

ALBANY, Ga. – Another illegal dumping site is catching the eyes of Albany officials. With this one being one of the largest Commissioner Jon Howard has ever seen.

Commissioner Howard told us Monday afternoon that the last time he saw this much garbage dumped off on backroads was nearly 30 years ago…

In the aftermath of the Flood of 1994.

“This is the biggest one I’ve ever seen in east Albany and the entire community. And, I say the biggest one, because when I stumbled through here yesterday, cause I’m always going through my ward on weekends, and I took a bird’s eye view, I counted; (the debris piles) I was shocked, I was petrified,” said Commissioner Jon Howard, Ward 1 Commissioner, City of Albany.

This site is only around a few dozen yards away from Clark Avenue, a busy street in east Albany…

And, Howard says a major illegal dump site like this is hurting any potential opportunities for growth in east Albany.

“…We complain, we get frustrated that there’s a lack of business, a lack of retail shops over here. But, when you and I look at this, a businessperson would not want to come within a hundred yards of this area to build a business when they see this junk behind the store…” said Commissioner Howard.

Some of the contents dumped back here include over 20 mattresses, nearly a dozen pieces of furniture like couches and ottomans, and even the remnants of a trailer.

Howard says he’s been in touch with the landowner about blocking off the area for the time being to prevent further dumping.

“In talking with the owner of the trailer park, he did assure us that he’s probably going to have to block this off with some steel poles or some kind of slab, because this is a domino effect. If it happens once, it tends to happen again, and I believe this is what happened here,” said Commissioner Howard.

And, Howard hopes that people will pick up the phone and call the proper groups to get rid of illegal dump sites.

“I certainly hope that citizens who watch tonight will say ‘we are going to be like a hawk, we are going to watch out for seeing illegal dumps transpire’ and that they call 311. That’s the best source to call,” said Commissioner Howard.

While Albany Public Works is going to start taking care of the site here off of Clark Avenue this week, Commissioner Howard says he wants people in the area to be vigilant and speak up when they find dumping sites like this.

Commissioner Howard says that if you are planning to dump things like mattresses and furniture to take them to the Dougherty County Landfill.

Brian Roche reporting.

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