As the vagrant population appears to grow in direct correlation to the poverty rate, users of Tucson’s down town are now dealing with the same excrement that Pima County residents, living near excrement and washes, have been dealing with for years.
On Wednesday, Pima County Administrator issued a memo read here outlining the steps the County is taking to address the health concerns related to “the location of human excreta in various locations in the general downtown area, including on County property.”
During Huckelberry’s tenure, vagrants and their waste have largely been with kid gloves. Now, the latex gloves are on and Huckelberry has ordered in his memo that “the material be removed and the area properly disinfected with appropriate notice to the Health Department that such has occurred.”
“Also, I have asked that the Health Department be more specific in location definition of these violations so we are able to immediately discern whether the violation is on County property and, if so, the exact location” writes Huckelberry. “I have asked the Health Department Director to instruct his staff to ensure there is sufficient documentation, including precise map locations of the areas of violation, so the proper authority can take the necessary actions to abate the violation.”
Huckelberry, who serves on the Executive Committee of the Downtown Tucson Partnership, as asked the Partnership “to increase their cleaning of areas adjacent to County property in City of the Tucson public rights of way, as those locations have seen violations occur near County property and are just as obnoxious and offensive to the public.”
Vagrant camps are scattered across the County, but none have been as “obnoxious and offensive” to the County like those that surround the County buildings now.
Vagrants are known to steal the pets of residents. However, concerns for pets fell on deaf ears until Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll’s pet was threatened by a couple of vagrants’ unleashed pit bulls near County offices.
According to the Notice of Claim:
The Pima County Health Department Vector personnel did an on-site investigation of the Downtown County Parks regarding human waste. The following are our results:
El Presidio Park:
• The team walked the perimeter of the park from Pennington St.to Alameda St. and the interior between County Justice Court and Tucson City Hall, finding 5 separate areas of human fecal matter and other areas of human urine odor.
County Administration Building perimeter:
• Observed human fecal matter on both the North and South perimeters of the buildings.
Vienta De Agosto Park:
• Investigators did not observe any fecal matter waste but, did note a strong urine odor within the park area Congress St. and Broadway.
• The area between the Arizona Hotel and Presidio Plaza just South of Broadway Blvd, human fecal matter and a strong urine odor especially in the stairwells of the buildings.
The investigators also spoke with some people who are residing in “pods” and they indicated that they are currently using the Justice Courts restrooms during the day, they did not elaborate on where they took care of business after hours.
According to down town occupiers, the Arizona Hotel, owned by Pima County developer Humberto Lopez, sits vacant and it decaying condition, creates the setting for those in need of digestive relief.