The last tents and makeshift structures at a sprawling homeless encampment in Simpson Park are gone, after Linn County deputies wrapped up a weeks-long sweep north of Albany’s Talking Water Gardens. The sheriff’s office said Monday that the riverfront site, long used for city recreation, was cleared following repeated warnings, walk-throughs and several arrests. Contractor crews were set to move in the next day to start restoring the land.
According to a press release from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, deputies first walked the camp on May 12, contacting 32 people and later making multiple arrests on outstanding warrants during follow-up visits. The sheriff’s office said the privately owned property, used by the city for recreation, had suffered extensive damage and posed significant public-safety hazards, and confirmed a contractor was scheduled to begin cleanup on Tuesday…