Marble Hill residents air grievances

Marble Hill residents are sick of the litter and dog poop on their streets and sidewalks.  And even when they pick up the disgusting mess, they say there are no trash cans in which to dispose of it.

At a town hall meeting organized by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez on Oct. 24, about 100 concerned Marble Hill residents packed into the bottom floor community center of St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church to air their grievances.  

At the front of the room, behind a row of long tables, representatives from many city agencies and organizations faced a diverse group of Marble Hill residents.

They asked questions about issues including litter and the lack of sidewalk trash cans, crime, youth programs, traffic enforcement and the age-old question of which borough Marble Hill belongs to.

Though much of the meeting concentrated on sanitation issues, the first question of the night addressed why representatives from Bronx offices of many city agencies were sitting in the room, rather than representatives from Manhattan offices. Marble Hill is officially located in Manhattan but has split representation.

“It’s always a big question, where do we live?” Audrey Moore, a resident in the Marble Hill Houses, said later, citing consistent problems getting mail due to borough confusion.

Most of the 90-minute meeting concerned issues of cleanliness and sanitation.

Many complained about neighbors throwing household garbage in sidewalk trash cans and the lack of sufficient receptacles.  

Ignazio Terranova, community affairs officer for the Department of Transportation, contended that more cans would result in more garbage and said that baskets are only put on commercial strips. 

He said residents who call 3-1-1 to complain about dog poop should be specific about when the excrement appears so that Sanitation can send an undercover officer to the location and fine the offender.

Every time 3-1-1 came up, many residents scoffed or laughed.

“When I dial 3-1-1 for the building across from the [Metro-North train station], they don’t have the address,” said Mario, who asked not to print his last name.

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