Mahopac News 09.15.2022

VOL. NO. Visit TapIntoMahopac.net for the latest news. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

Town declares war on illegal dumping
Problem has plagued Mahopac for years

BY BOB DUMAS tually dumped it, which isn’t always easy “We put The
EDITOR to do. signs up and the boat
police are more vigi- that
Town o cials have been bristling for “When I saw it (the boat), I was very lant and now we are asking was
a while now about the uptick in illegal angry,” Councilman Frank Lombardi the public to report anything they abandoned
dumping—some of it quite brazen— said. “We are going to investigate fur- see,” Cazzari said. “Because we are seeing at the
around Mahopac, but an incident earlier ther [in order to] get them charged to all kinds of junk, like a bunch of old win- Union Valley
this month might have pushed them over the fullest extent.” dows left over by Stillwater Auto. Clearly, Cemetery.
the edge. people were doing a remodeling project
Cazzari speculated that the sluggish and they or the contractor dumped them PHOTO COURTESY OF
Someone dumped a boat in the Union economy might be the reason more il- there.” STEVE BARANOWSKI
Valley Cemetery. legal dumping of large items is taking
place as people can’t a ord to dispose of Lombardi noted that old plaster board ing the nes or penalties for
e town of Carmel already has some them properly. with tiles was discovered at the Union illegal dumping is the answer.
of the harshest nes for illegal dump- Valley Road dump site, which, he said, “I don’t know if new codes will help
ing—it’s $1,000—compared with neigh- Last year, Lombardi brought to light were likely also the remnants of a home us,” he said. “We have to decide what
boring towns, but in the case of the aban- the illegal dumping taking place on improvement project. kind of community we want to live in. It
doned boat, if investigators determine Union Valley Road at a former auto says a lot about us. If you see something
the vessel was tampered with to conceal junkyard and state Superfund site. ey Cazzari said he doesn’t think increas- you have to call us.”
its owner, it elevates from a violation to discovered that a mattress, a washing ma- Lombardi called the spate of illegal
a crime. chine, a couch and other pieces of furni- dumping a “broken-windows” issue, re-
ture had been abandoned there. ferring to a style of policing that focuses
“If you can prove they cut the hull
number (similar to a car’s VIN number), Surveillance cameras were placed SEE DUMPING PAGE 5
then that changes everything,” said Su- around the area, “no dumping” signs were
pervisor Mike Cazzari, former Carmel erected, and a chain was installed to pre-
police chief. vent vehicles from backing into the prop-
erty. ere has been no illegal dumping
Police Chief Anthony Ho mann there since.
called the dumping of a boat in a cem-
etery “disrespectful” and said it is still un- But both Cazzari and Ho mann noted
der investigation. He said the police need that you can’t install cameras everywhere,
to determine ownership. But even if you and the police can’t be everywhere. So,
can do that, Ho mann noted, you still they are working on a comprehensive
have to prove they were the ones who ac- plan to combat the problem—and part of
it involves getting help from the public.

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