By Amanda Pinto, Register Staff
apinto@newhavenregister.com

The effort to clean up the remnants of a tent compound strewn with hazardous material, human excrement and burned vegetation will likely cost New Haven thousands of dollars.

There had initially been some confusion about which city — New Haven or West Haven — was responsible for cleaning up the debris, which is in West Haven but is a part of New Haven’s West River Memorial Park. New Haven has taken charge of the cleanup, which is ongoing, city spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga said.

The “tent city,” which had occupied the wooded area off Marginal Drive for several years, was reportedly plagued by drug use and violence and littered with garbage. Last month, people were removed from the compound, and the tents were taken down, because of public health and safety concerns, West Haven Police Officer Bret Schneider said. Some of the people were taken to Columbus House, a shelter for the homeless in New Haven; others refused services.

Maureen Lillis, acting health director for West Haven, confirmed her department solicited bids for the cleanup, one of which was for $17,000. New Haven would have reimbursed West Haven for the cost, Lillis said. Lillis said she is “pleased” with what has been done, but deferred further comment to New Haven.

Mayorga said only that the Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees is expected to have the job completed by the end of this week. She said she did not yet have the costs for the project.

Schneider has said the removal of the compound would permit New Haven to restore a once-vibrant area; he said Community Resource Officers continually patrol the area to make sure no one is living there.

At the time it was cleared, at least one advocate for homeless people said he was concerned about where the people who lived in the compound would go, since many are not equipped to live in a shelter setting. Schneider said the Police Department has had no issues with the people who had been living in the compound since it was cleared.

In June, residents of the compound, at least one of whom had a subsidized apartment, told a Register columnist they considered themselves a family, and called their site “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.”

In August, a West Haven Planning and Zoning official evaluated the environmental impact of the “tent city” and New Haven officials assessed cleanup needs.

Lillis said once the cleanup has been completed, West Haven officials will make sure that everything is “done the way it should be from a health perspective.” Continued...

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Call Amanda Pinto at 203-789-5734.

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