Germantown resident Gary Hines began noticing the growing pile of trash shortly after the Rite Aid that sits on the corner of Germantown Avenue and Tulpehocken Street finally closed its doors in April of 2023.

It didn’t take long for one or two bags of discarded garbage to turn into a dumping ground for trash and leftover materials from contractors. 

“I walk every morning, and I have been noticing since it closed that people have been dumping trash there, particularly contractors,” Hines told the Local. “You’d see a lot of building parts and materials that don't look like just regular trash from residents.” 

So on Sept. 29, he posted a statement about the problem on Facebook’s Changing Germantown page – and the response was immediate. 

“People couldn't believe that people were doing this,” Hines said.  

Among those who noted Hines’ post was the newly elected State Rep. Andre Carroll, who won his seat in the special election on Sept. 17, this year. Carroll reached out to Hines, asking for pictures of the trashed lot, and said “Thank you! I will get this taken care of.”

Less than two weeks later, the lot was completely cleaned. 

“Before ever running for office, (the Facebook group) was a medium that I used to communicate with community members,” Carroll told the Local. “I think that sitting close to the ground includes direct communication with folks who live here. And I really enjoy being able to go inside of these group chats and then seeing people's honest opinions and their concerns.”

Carroll took office on Sept. 30 of this year, representing House District 201. The previous representative, Stephen Kinsey, retired on July 16. His retirement led to a special election in September, where Carroll ran unopposed. He now has the chance to represent the district where he grew up. 

Born in Germantown, Carroll was raised solely by his grandmother, with his mother battling substance abuse and his father incarcerated for ”95%” of Carroll’s life. When his grandmother died in 2009, shortly after he graduated from Germantown High School, he got a job and committed to providing support for his younger brother. 

In the last ten years, Carroll has worked in government for the city’s controller’s office, state Sen. Anthony H. Williams’s office, several campaigns, and he previously ran for his current position in 2022. 

Germantown, where 60% of residents are over 60 years old, is “where I've spent all of my life,” Carroll said, adding that “I deeply care about making sure that our seniors are connected to government resources.” 

His connection to the community has shaped many of the focal points of his platform, including juvenile justice work with the Brothahood Foundation, which serves incarcerated juveniles facing adult criminal charges. 

“Education is a priority for me and healthcare is a big issue, as well. My grandmother, who raised me, lost her battle with liver cancer a few months after I graduated high school,” he said. “Germantown also has a lot of climate issues when it comes to our communities flooding.”

Carroll helped organize community cleanups in the past, so when he heard about the Rite Aid lot, he called the city’s Streets Department, which began the process of cleaning within 72 hours of his call. 

“I don't think that I could have ever gotten that kind of response,” Hines said. “I was really happy to see that they cleaned it up within a week. 

“I think in Germantown, one of the biggest issues has been illegal dumping and just litter. And I'm a big proponent for a cleaner neighborhood,” Carroll said. “Having relationships with elected officials, I would get pictures of the location, and then I would filter the request to the Streets Department.” 

Carroll noticed that there is sometimes a delay in response to these types of issues when people use the city’s 311 number for reporting quality of life concerns. 

“Becoming a state representative has allowed me to have the right communication with the Streets Department and be able to address some of these issues in a more timely manner,” Carroll said. 

On Oct. 10, Hines posted again showing the lot completely cleaned – making many Changing Germantown group members happy.

But now, some say, the challenge will be keeping it that way. Some commenters wondered whether the lack of a fence and surveillance cameras would lead to further dumping on the property. 

Carroll said he spoke with the property management last week to ask for a construction fence around the property.