PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Rickety shacks reaching 20 to 30 feet high, with piles of debris to match, used to greet anyone on their way to the Palm Springs Train Station or Interstate 10 for that matter, the Desert Sun reports.
The site consisted of the skeletal remains of a couple of buildings and a years-old train wreck.
It was an eyesore, city of Palm Springs Building and Safety Supervisor Terry Tatum said.
So when Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet asked Tatum's crew to see if it could do anything about the site, the mission was accepted and recently completed.
It wasn't an easy feat. The dump site near Interstate 10 and Indian Canyon Drive had been there anywhere from 10 to 15 years, Tatum said. Attempts had been made to get the owners to clean it up to no avail.
Until now. Tatum pulled up the research. It was owned by Union Pacific. Code Compliance Officer Carol Wehrle and Building Inspector Alberto Gradilla were then assigned to the task.
Union Pacific agreed to come in and do the asbestos removal and hazardous waste cleanup.
They were more than willing to work with us, Tatum said. They got all the permits.
Pougnet said during a recent City Council meeting that Tatum and his team really committed to get the area clean and clear.
It's a wonderful win for the city of Palm Springs, Pougnet said.
(This item appeared in the Desert Sun July 31, 2009.)
