CBS2 Gets Action As Queens Park Being Used As Dumping Ground By Parks Dept. Is Cleaned Up
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A nauseating mess in a Queens park all caused by the city has been cleaned up following a story CBS2 aired last week, and now officials are promising change.
The scene inside beloved Forest Park last week was one to forget -- a trash-filled stretch of concrete completely covered in dirt and debris.
And it was the city that was spewing all that waste.
"I don't even know what this is. It's disgusting," one park-goer said on Friday.
But just two days after CBS2's story aired, the pathway for park goers on Sunday was virtually spotless, CBS2's Reena Roy reported.
"I was thrilled," Glendale resident Frank Schorn said. "I came by and couldn't believe what I was not seeing, all this debris was removed. I was so so happy."
Some were shocked by how bad it was before, with families navigating the muddy cesspool that was packed with bottles, bugs, you name it, on their way into the park near Myrtle Avenue and Union Turnpike.
"Whoa. Yeah, that's a lot," Nicholas Rudzwick said. "Oh, it's night and day difference, definitely. You don't see any of that here now."
The Parks Department admitted its own staff was behind the dumping in a space the agency is responsible for keeping clean.
A spokesperson claimed it was nonhazardous waste that had been collected from clogged catch basins and spray shower drains from other parks, and dropped there.
"They still shouldn't be dumping it here," Rudzwick said. "That's definitely a health hazard. I can only imagine what they're dumping over here."
When CBS2 originally reached out, the agency promised to clean it up, hose the area down and take the junk to a landfill. Now, the city says it will also be re-evaluating this practice and exploring alternative methods.
It's unclear how long the dumping has been going on. Councilman Robert Holden will be meeting with Parks officials to find out.
When asked if he thinks the cleanup would've happened had CBS2 not stepped in and made some noise about the mess, Schorn said, "No, no, absolutely not. Thanks go out to WCBS for covering and for your advocacy. I'm grateful for everyone who has worked together as a community."
It's a happy ending just in time for people to enjoy the holiday in a clean park, the way it should have been all along.