Efforts to clean up the former site of a Napanee homeless encampment on Bridge Street are underway.
In a press release, the municipality has announced they have begun phase two of cleanup operations at 1388 Bridge Street. As part of the ongoing efforts to address property standards and yard maintenance violations at the site, contractors are removing large amounts of material from the property. Materials being removed include construction materials, demolished structures, various elements of human waste, drug paraphernalia, bio-hazardous and medical waste, solid and liquid waste, sewage, and brush materials.
While work is underway, a section of Bridge Street West near the property will be intermittently reduced to one lane of traffic to allow staff and contractors safe access to the site. Motorists travelling through the area are asked to use caution, as increased traffic from staff, contractors, and vehicles removing waste and large items is expected.
The cleanup was prompted by a court order that determined activities occurring on the property were illegal. The property owner was required by July 1 to ensure occupants living on the property vacated the premises, remove all construction materials and refuse, and remove trailers and cinder-block structures from the property.
As the work was not completed before the deadline, the court order authorized the municipality to complete the work and bill the owner of the property for costs.
The municipality worked with various social service agencies since the court order was issued to help people living on the property find alternative accommodations. While the property was not zoned to operate as a trailer park, inspections conducted by the municipal By-law Enforcement and Fire Departments also determined that the site was unsafe and unsuitable for human habitation.
