Residents in Hamilton Beach are hopeful graffiti and trash will soon be gone from their park now that a local lawmaker has determined who is responsible for cleaning it up. NY1's Matt McClure filed this follow-up report.

Trash, graffiti, and trespassing. Residents first told NY1 about their concerns regarding Hamilton Beach Park in November.

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder stepped in to help, but no government agency would claim responsibility for cleaning up the area next to the subway tracks.

Three months later, the graffiti and trash are still there, but maybe not for long.

"We've been looking at maps literally going back to the early '50s and '60s, looking at various property lines," Goldfeder said. "Literally every acronym and agency you can think of, we've been in contact with, and we've determined that it is officially New York City Transit property."

In November, the MTA's New York City Transit division told NY1 it only controlled the subway bridge, not the area under or around it.

Now, a spokesperson says the agency did not take the embankment next to the tracks into account in its initial review. The agency is now planning to work with the National Park Service, which controls Hamilton Beach Park, to clean up the area.

That's music to the ears of Patricia Fogarty, whose family has lived in the neighborhood for 70 years.

"Really, really good news. I was very happy to hear that," Fogarty said. "We finally got answers, and something is going to be done."

Even though it is New York City Transit property, Goldfeder says the agency doesn't have to take care of the cleanup itself. The National Park Service has said it will do that, but first, it needs written permission from New York City Transit.

"At this point, we're just waiting on New York City Transit to sign a memorandum of understanding to work with the National Park Service to clean it up," Goldfeder said.

Fogarty says once that happens, she hopes more people will use the park.

"Use it, but don't abuse it, because, as you can see, people have been doing such," she said. "And hopefully, when they see people are caring and taking care, they might do the same."

The National Park Service says it is planning on starting cleanup as soon as it gets permission, but there is no word on exactly when that might happen.