Environment
City crews shovel garbage out of Houska Park, after deadline for campers to leave
The tents are gone from Houska Park. So is much of the grass and the soil, after city crews plowed trash out onto the street on Wednesday, the day when winter campers were told to vacate the riverfront park.
Most of Houska Drive along the west side of the park has been closed to traffic, while the cleanup is in progress.
Camping continued through the winter months, even though the city had hoped to get people to leave Houska last October. Restoring the soil and the greenery is expected to take some time.
Heavy equipment was used to move garbage out of the park on Wednesday, with junk left on the street running past the park entrance.
City leaders chose March 15th as the day that campers had to leave Houska, and the people who stayed there were given a one-month notice to vacate the land. Camping was allowed this winter, compared to a year ago, when unsheltered people were moved to a La Crosse hotel for the winter months.
Kent
March 16, 2023 at 5:46 am
What a waste of tax money
John Q Public
March 16, 2023 at 7:22 am
The clean up should have been done by the people who made the mess. Again our mayor the great enabler.
Richard Lepsch
March 16, 2023 at 7:25 am
The people who made the mess should have been made to clean up the mess. Again our mayor the great enabler.
Kent Porter
March 16, 2023 at 2:11 pm
No respect Mayor Mitch hasn’t done a good job. You should of seen what they did to that Motel the Mayor paid a million dollars of our tax money to store the homeless in including the 125 police calls EVERY MONTH FOR DRUGS. SEX TRAFFICKING. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND DRUG SALES. YEA GREAT JOB MR MAYOR. WRITE IN KENT PORTER FOR MAYOR. I WIL FIRE THE HOMELESS ZAR END HOMELESSNESS AND DONATE 50%OF MY PAY TO THE OLSON. SENIOR CENTER AND VETERANS
Dexter
March 16, 2023 at 12:36 pm
Good thing the homeless is gonna pay for the clean up
Sandra
March 16, 2023 at 5:52 pm
I would like transparency on what the total cost to the LaCrosse taxpayers is. I am talking about the tents, portapotty rental, the 20 generators and police security to name a few. Combined with the clean up amount. What is the total cost? And why is the person who approved the permit not held accountable for the debt?