Cox Creek dump cleaned up – Hasso Hering

Before time goes by, I would like to acknowledge the good job of cleaning up the shoreline of Cox Creek between the train tracks and Salem Avenue in Albany.

It was the same side of the creek on August 4th.

As I’ve mentioned more than once, the Cox Creek Path along the south side of Talking Water Gardens from the Simpson Park parking lot to Salem Avenue is part of my regular bike route along the riverbank and back. .

This year the place had been occupied by one or more vagabonds who collected a lot of stuff. It looked like a big pile of trash, although it might not have been trash to the people who put it there.

Earlier this summer, the area near the creek burned, requiring firefighters to respond. Another time people had used some sort of impromptu grill or fire ring under one of the wooden railway bridges, but a few days later it was gone with no damage that I could see.

Anyway, Wednesday afternoon this week the site along the creek had been thoroughly cleared. I wasn’t there when it happened, but I assume the work was done by the company whose sign was still up along Salem Avenue that afternoon, Apex Property Clearing and Recycling.

The property between the creek and the paved path is part of a 10.4-acre parcel that also includes the Albany Jewish Cemetery and the Waverly Memorial Cemetery, owned by the Albany Masonic Lodge.

Earlier in the week, the city’s code compliance officer told me the lodge had spent $1,900 on a previous round of cleaning up after unauthorized campers. So maybe the lodge hired Apex to do this job.

Whoever was responsible for eliminating this scourge, all of us who walk this path appreciate it very much.

Now the challenge is to keep the Cox Creek ravine picked up. (hh)

The sign along Salem Avenue Wednesday afternoon.