A month after officials complained loudly about dog poop on the Derby Greenway, the situation has improved, Public Works Director Ron Culmo said last week.
“It’s been good. It’s been bad. There’s been more good than bad,” Culmo told the Board of Aldermen.
But when people are bad, they are very, very bad.
Culmo told the Aldermen had received a call March 18 from a woman reporting that another woman changed a baby’s diaper on the Greenway — then threw the soiled Huggies off to the side.
“The lady mentioned something to her and the lady swore at her. That’s how some people care about the Greenway. It’s a same a few people have to ruin it for everybody else,” Culmo said.
Dog poop is an issue that plops down every so often in Derby.
Last month DPW foreman Mike Piscionieri told the Aldermen that dog owners were again refusing to clean up after their dogs on the popular Derby Greenway, an exercise trail on the shores of the Naugatuck River.
Alderman have threatened to ban dogs from the Greenway, an unpopular move as evidenced by a Valley Indy unscientific survey last month. Sixty percent of readers who took a Valley Indy poll opposed the idea last month. About 350 readers participated.
While the situation has improved on the Derby Greenway, Culmo said the Derby Green — home to war monuments, historic markers and the heart of the city’s history — is still “very bad” with dog poop, Culmo said.
“People don’t care around there,” Culmo said.
Mayor Anthony Staffieri asked Derby Police Gerald Narowski to have officers keep an eye on the Greenway.
“(Can we) try to educate some of these dog walkers over there that the Green is not theirs to defecate?”
Police Chief Gerald Narowski said police are aware of the problems.
“At the same time we want to try to redeploy our animal control officer, if we can … to watch these areas for any type of animal violations as well,” Narowski said. “We’re trying to keep on top of it but our staffing levels right now at the moment are restricting us to standard car patrols.”
A survey of the Derby Green Monday morning turned up just a single mound of dog poop. The culprit wasn’t around.
Ken Hughes, president of the Derby Board of Aldermen, said he’s been contacted by a group whose members may volunteer to clean up areas when needed. Hughes will bring up the issue at an Aldermen subcommittee, he said.
