Junk Car News Aggregator

The car that's a heap of junk

2011-10-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Honest John doesn't have a kind word to say about the Peugeot 1007.

Blunder bus

I'm very interested in the Peugeot 1007, but only ever read bad reviews. Are they that bad? The specification seems to include almost everything you could want. I understand they are still popular on mainland Europe and you can pick up a very nice example for about £3,500.

DD, Letchworth

The 1007 was based on the Citroën C2... and was a heap of junk cars that got the go-ahead on the basis of flawed research. Sliding doors each side were the main selling point, but the mechanisms are prone to failure. That's why 1007s are cheap. They are neither nice to drive nor practical, so spend your money on something else.

NEWS SOURCE

Former Falls Resident Disgusted By Wretched Condition Of Old Hometown

2011-10-04T02:25:00.000-07:00

GUEST VIEW By Don Soos

I just returned home to Florida after a visit of several days to my former hometown area.

During that time I visited Niagara Falls several times, went to the casino, drove around the area and went "downtown," where I parked the car and visited the "major" souvenir shop and the souvenir stands scattered about the area like an outdoor flea market. The entire falls area is a disgrace! There is no other way to say it.

The entire area is dingy, dirty, unkempt, shopworn. I am unable to find the proper words to describe this "wonder of the world." Sidewalks and streets are broken and actually dangerous to walk upon. The trash at the falls area (especially on the other side of the safety barriers and fencing) obviously has not been picked up or cleaned up for months, if not years.

One cannot drive any of the side streets without hitting the many cracks, potholes and hundreds of pieces of debris in the streets. And the visitors really must enjoy seeing all those crack houses just off the main drag, with the broken windows, unkempt yards, junk cars, etc.

I made it a point to speak with a few of the many foreign visitors who spoke English, and their comments were almost all negative.

I have been fortunate enough to travel many parts of the world in years past and have visited some of the countries represented by these visitors. Most of their countries were much cleaner, well kept and had many areas to tour and enjoy -- historical sites, grand buildings and parks. It was a pleasure to visit. I am speaking of England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, China, Japan, India and more.

Very few of these places were as dirty and rundown as Niagara Falls, and they offered many places of interest -- parks, museums, theaters, nightclubs, etc.

Now back to the Falls. There are very few fine places to dine or shop. The souvenir stands were all full of overpriced junk, most of which came from China and other overseas sources.

Then I had the pleasure of crossing the border to Canada. Clean, neat, fantastic shopping areas, the parks along the falls area were beautiful, with lots of flowers and green shrubs and plants.

One was hard put to find trash and debris in the falls areas. So many fine shops that it would take several days just to see them all, with a fine selection of goods. Great places to relax and have a snack or a drink. And I want to say also that the salespeople in Canada were much more friendly and cooperative.

I had the pleasure once again of dining up in the Skylon Tower. Wow! Fantastic view, and the menu, although a bit pricey, was absolutely fabulous. Their escargot was superior to that I have had many times in Paris.

It would be impossible to estimate the number of visitors who were shopping there in Canada, many thousands vs. the few hundred I saw at those great souvenir stands around the park on the U.S. side, with many millions of dollars being spent there instead of in the United States. Maybe we could tell them about the fantastic Rainbow Centre, or about all that reconstruction that was promised in the Falls some 60 years ago that never materialized.

Maybe we could tell them about the hundreds of empty promises from the corrupt and incompetent politicians in New York who were going to bring in jobs and tourism and millions of much-needed dollars.

Yes, maybe if we told these millions of people who visit annually about all our problems, they might just leave a few dollars in a collection plate, which we could set up down by the border as they cross into Canada!

Don Soos lives in Orange Park, Fla.

Niagara Falls Reporter

NEWS SOURCE

Junk car ban goes into effect Saturday

2011-10-03T02:06:00.000-07:00

The city of Burlington will begin enforcing a junk car ban on Saturday. Although some city officials think that junk cars are a problem, a city councilman thinks the ban isn’t needed.

The junk car ban, passed in June, enables the city to tow junked, abandoned or hazardous motor vehicles that are within the city limits. Greg Turner, crime prevention specialist with the Burlington Police Department, said that the number of junked cars is pretty low.

“Junk cars have never been an issue,” Turner said. “We could ride around town and I don’t know if I’d see any.”

Councilmember Celo Faucette said that the ordinance was created to improve the appearance of Burlington.

“Aesthetically it has been (a problem),” Faucette said.

Despite this apparent aesthetic problem, Faucette estimated a low number of cars that are viewable to the public.

“I wouldn’t know what the number is, but you may see one or two (junked cars),” Faucette said.

David Beal, assistant director for planning services for Burlington, confirmed that the most junked cars are located on parts of personal property that aren’t viewable to the public.

“There is no accurate count available, but it is safe to say there are hundreds (of junked cars),” Beal said. “Most of the vehicles are in residential areas and can be found anywhere on the property, but mainly in the rear yard.”

The location of these cars is, in part, why Faucette voted against the ordinance. Faucette’s was the only “no” vote. He said that “junk” is too subjective of a work to put into a law.

“Again it goes back to what is junk to the city and what is junk to that resident,” Faucette said. “I think laws and everything is what this country is based on, but sometimes I think we can go a little too far on somebody’s personal rights. If there is a problem with it, then yes come and tell me that there is a problem with it, but don’t have laws that curtail property rights. I know we’re trying to take care of our city and make it aesthetically pleasing, but sometimes I think we can find a better way than passing an ordinance to do that.”

Despite the fact that the large majority of junked cars can’t be seen, Beal feels that the ban will be good for the community. Beal sees junk cars as a problem beyond aesthetics.

“Junked motor vehicles have been a problem in that they can be unsightly in neighborhoods, they may be hazardous, they may negatively impact property values by being allowed to remain, and there are environmental concerns due to leaking fluids,” Beal said.

Although Beal has these other concerns about the junked cars, this law is only enforced via community complaints, which will be largely based on how the cars look.

Faucette said a hotline for a citywide community junk car watch has been set up so that anyone, mostly neighbors with complaints, can call in the location of junked vehicles,.

“We just don’t have the manpower (of the police force) to go out and look for abandoned vehicles and junked vehicles and the sort,” Faucette said. “We leave it on the community to police in this area.”

The junk car ban hotline is an element of Connecting Burlington Communities, which was designed to clean up and improve the quality of life in Burlington. Other issues CBC deals with are graffiti, illegally dumped items and litter.

To properly inform the community of the upcoming enforcement of the ban, Turner plans on notifying all the individual community watch groups of Burlington.

Even though he plans on emailing almost 50 groups, Turner said he does not foresee the hotline being very active.

NEWS SOURCE

Brown signs bill warning buyers of vehicle damage

2011-09-27T01:26:00.000-07:00

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill requiring car dealers to mark junk vehicles with a sticker alerting potential buyers to damage.

The governor announced his signing of AB1215 by Democratic Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield of Sherman Oaks on Monday.

Under the legislation, California becomes the first state to require dealers to post a prominent marker identifying vehicles that are listed in a federal database as junk cars, salvage or inundated during floods.

Blumenfield says the law will protect consumers. The bill also requires car dealers to register vehicles electronically starting next July, a process that is estimated to save the state more than $9 million a year.

Additionally, the bill raises the fee dealers can charge for titles and registrations to $80, while allowing them to charge extra for filing registrations electronically.

NEWS SOURCE

For Denver man, no junk left behind

2011-09-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

A lifelong love of collecting rundown car parts has given Grady Ballard lots to play with in retirement. His latest project: making a joy ride of a '39 Ford.

DENVER, N.C. Grady Ballard's car turns heads.

If he flies by you in the opposite lane, you may wrench your neck.

Pass him, and you will slow down for longer look.

It is a rat rod, made of an opportunistic assortment of parts from the '39 Ford truck grille in front to the scratch built tailgate with Harley pipes underneath. In between, a large photo of Sarah Palin smiles from the doors.

For Ballard, now 70, it's the result of a 56-year love affair with junky cars.

"I've got the love of old cars in my heart, the rat rods," he said. "I could afford them when I couldn't afford the other stuff."

He bought his first car back in 1960, a '31 Ford roadster with a 1955 Oldsmobile engine, cut low enough so you just slid over the top to get in it.

"It would run 60 mph in low gear and 100 in second," he recalls. "I would never dream of running it in high gear because the front end was just all over, it took both hands to hold it on the road."

He dreamed of building another during his 50 years at work at Ethan Allen and CommScope. Two years before he retired in May 2009, he started gathering parts and forming ideas for what would be his full-time hobby. With the help of welders John and Jim Ballard (no relation) in Stanley, his dream took shape. It was finished the month he entered retirement.

Rat rods - which are thrown together from old and rusty spare parts - are different from slicker hot rods. Back in the day, hot rods were easier to build because the parts were in better shape.

Nowadays, original parts usually can only be found rusting in forgotten places. For his latest ride, Ballard found a 1941 Ford truck cab in the woods sitting on the ground, the floor completely corroded away.

His dream ride is true to the custom of old-school rat rodders. The cab is appointed with '84 International school bus seats and instruments. It's all mounted on a 1975 Toyota long bed truck frame sporting a Toyota engine with Harley Davidson tail pipes growling out back.

All this painted black and red with rust proudly showing through in spots, with Rat Fink stickers and the smiling portrait of the former governor of Alaska. The rear bumper is what he calls a "formality," made from an old horse collar.

It is a work of art, one that he drives daily without worrying about the rigors of the road.

"Anybody can throw something together that just looks horrible, but to build a real pretty rat rod you have to know what they mean and represent," he said. "You have to have that inside of you that I call artist."

Saturday, Ballard hosted the 4^th annual G & T Rodz Old School Rat Rodz show at his home near Denver. He expected around fifty entrants, all vying for one of eight trophies he has made from old car parts. Seven of the prizes are standard best of show designations. But the eighth, the Biggest Piece of ... Trophy, may be the most coveted. Grady has incorporated real animal droppings on this one, so the winner should store it in a cool, dry place, like a basement garage.

NEWS SOUTRCE

Junk Yards Litter The Border Of Guilford And Randolph County

2011-09-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Thomasville, NC -- A viewer contacted 2 Wants To Know about the junk yards that are visible from the roads.

We found out there are ordinances against these eyesores, and covering them up is key to selling this area.

As you drive into Davidson County and reach the Guilford County/Randolph County line, you see more than one junk yard in plain view.

Realtor Robin Russell said curb appeal means a lot.

"It's a person's first impression of an area," he explained. Looking at the corridor of junk yards, Russell said it's unsightly.

"Well, certainly with screening, it could hide it from cars. People passing through. It could look a whole lot better than it looks," he added.

Ceith Halipilias is aware of the Davidson County ordinance. He began moving junk cars the moment we asked him about them.

He owns J.C. Nizzan Auto Salvage & Repair just outside of Thomasville.

The ordinance requires fencing and screening to keep the cars from being seen. He said he doesn't want his operation to deter other businesses from moving into the area.

"Especially for the economy of the area which is definitely down because of the moving of the furniture companies and that type thing so it's very, very important to me," shared Halipilias.

Zoning officers say the problem comes with older junk yards.
New junk yards must have fencing and screening. The older ones in Davidson County eventually do.

But across the highway in Trinity which is in Randolph County, the older ones are grandfathered in and don't have to comply.

NEWS SOURCE

Tow truck drivers hooked into scrap metal scam

2011-09-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

Police say criminals are casing junk cars in random yards, calling tow companies, and getting cash as the car is towed away for scrap.

Desperate times, desperate measures, said Ryan Haluptzok about a new scam in the scrap metal market.

Haluptzok, owner of Classic Towing and Recycling in Duluth, has been scammed by people selling him junk cars they don’t own. According to the Duluth Police Department, criminals are casing junk cars in random yards, calling tow companies, and getting cash as the car is towed away for scrap.

“People come home and say, ‘Hey, my car is gone,’” police Sgt. Chad Nagorski said.

Cases are under investigation, Nagorski said, mainly because of the cooperation of towing companies that have been duped. It’s happened twice in the past month to Haluptzok.

“I bought a couple downtown,” he said.

It isn’t uncommon that people don’t have a title to show proof of ownership, Nagorski and Haluptzok both said, especially if it looks like the car’s been sitting a long time. While Haluptzok will take a car without proof of ownership, those who are selling are required to provide driver’s licenses.

Police are trying to verify whether the identities offered were legitimate.

“Scrap prices are going up,” Haluptzok said, so he isn’t really surprised to hear about the scam. He’s been giving $150 to $250 per car recently.

In August, the St. Paul Police Department made 10 arrests in a similar scrap car operation after a three-month investigation. More than 50 vehicles were claimed illegally and sent to scrap yards. In some cases, tow truck drivers were involved in the scam.

After those arrests, officials called for tighter state law on providing proof of ownership.

Nagorski said no tow truck operators are suspected in Duluth and they have been cooperative with police after being told about the scam.

“We don’t believe at all that they are involved,” he said.

Nagorski said thieves have sold cars in Superior as well, part of what tipped Duluth officers to a growing trend.

“There are a lot of cars in yards in Duluth,” he said.

He said the appeal of the scam is that the criminals “don’t have to touch anything,” Nagorski said, they just call, get the cash and walk away.

Duluth police are asking residents to watch their neighborhoods for tow trucks, exchanges of cash, or any other peculiar activity. Nagorski said there will be a response to such reported activity. With the help of towing companies, salvage yards and the public, “this can be prevented,” he said.

Haluptzok is being more careful about anyone selling a car for scrap.

“The average person will have keys for it, give some history,” he said. “It’s not often that we run into a problem. But when we get two in a row, that’s something.”

NEWS SOURCE

Ordinance a tricky topic in Ronda

2011-09-22T04:19:00.000-07:00

Frances Hayes

Ronda commissioners discussed a proposed nuisance ordinance during their September meeting on Tuesday night.

"We need to look over this very carefully and take our time with it," said Commissioner Sam Foster.

"I am very leery of this. Are we letting in more government interference and having less for the individual," said Foster.

"We are a community and we have to have standards," responded Mayor Victor Varela. "This can affect our property values."

The proposed nuisance ordinance was partially prepared by Benchmark of Kannapolis and was presented during the July meeting. The nuisance ordinance would restrict junk cars in the yard and other upkeep issues. Benchmark is a firm that writes and enforces town ordinances.

Commissioners have been reading over the ordinance since then before a final draft is written by the town's lawyer, Bob Laney.

Restricting junk cars and indoor furniture from residents' yards was particularly mentioned by town officials during the meeting.

"Does this mean people can't have a couch on their front porch," asked Lahoma O'Lague, town administrator.

Commissioners wondered if junk cars and lumber from housing repairs could be in the backyards of town residents.

"Can't we say something about items being a certain distance from the road before banning them," suggested Foster.

Mayor Varela told Foster he needed to talk to a cross section of residents about what they want in a nuisance ordinance.

"I have talked to residents and many of them don't want this. They want to have a couch on their front porch," said Foster. "This is a slippery slope."

Commissioner Brenda Miller pointed out that an unmowed yard, banned in the proposed ordinance, causes rats and snakes.

"Let's go through this again and fine tune it to make changes for the next meeting," said Varela.

The ordinance, once approved, will be enforced by Benchmark. Varela said penalty fines for not obeying the ordinance would be structured so it covered the town's cost for hiring Benchmark.

Commissioners hope to approve the revised ordinance during the October meeting.

Update on the sewer, water

Varela said around 100 people are on the waiting list for water in the Pleasant Hill area. Grading has been completed on the pump station in that area and pipes are out for placement.

"We are just waiting for the pump station to be built," said Varela.

Lightning storms on Sept. 6 hit the pump station located near Memorial Park, the town's park near the Yadkin River.

Three thousand gallons of sewage spilled out around the station, said town officials. Alarms did not go off and no other signals were made for assistance. Also the generator did not begin working.

"They should have come on," said Varela. He said this is not the first time problems have occurred with the pump station.

Varela plans to discuss the pump station problems during a called meeting of the Yadkin Valley Sewer Authority on Thursday in Elkin.

Memorial Park

The town did not receive a state grant for improvements to Memorial Park, but were encouraged to resubmit the bid in January. Commissioners plan to meet one more time, before ordering basic playground equipment for the park. The town will pay for the equipment, which will include a swing set, slide and more.

Miscellaneous

Commissioners agreed to require landlords and new tenants to sign for water before it is turned on at the town hall.

Laney said enforcement of the town's Animal Control Ordinance is provided by the sheriff's department, following a discussion on dog problems.

NEWS SOURCE

Bladensburg steps up efforts to kick abandoned vehicle problems to the curb

2011-09-21T04:14:00.000-07:00

Code enforcement urges residents to report cars without tags

by Daniel J. Gross, Staff Writer

Due to a surge of incidents in Bladensburg, code enforcement plans to start cracking down harder on abandoned vehicles and vehicles without tags cases.

From the beginning of the year through the end of August, there were 168 abandoned vehicle reports, of which 11 vehicles were impounded, said Tim McNamara, the town’s code enforcement director.

Last year there were 175 reports, of which 18 abandoned vehicles were impounded, McNamara said.

Tim McNamara, the town’s code enforcement director, said by the rate the reports are coming in, the town will likely see many more this year.

Apart from the increase in numbers, McNamara said the issue is also a problem because as the temperatures drop, rodents will use the abandoned vehicles as shelter and be closer to residential properties.

“We will start cracking down harder when weather gets colder,” McNamara said. “If you’re not going to fix it and it’s a piece of junk, we remove it for free so [vehicle owners] are not going to pay for that.”

He said code enforcement will impound abandoned vehicles free of charge, using Henry’s Wrecker Service in Bladensburg.

“That way, residents can’t say that we’re just doing this to make money,” McNamara said.

He also said that abandoned vehicles are naturally hazardous because children tend to play inside them or around them and harm themselves or lock themselves inside. He said there have not been any recent cases in Bladensburg.

“But there has been across the country where kids have locked themselves in the trunk of abandoned vehicles and have been found days later dead,” McNamara said.

Councilman Cris Mendoza (Ward 1) said reporting an abandoned vehicle is important because it can occasionally lead to the discovery of a stolen vehicle.

Mendoza said the problem is not so much dealing with residents who literally abandon their vehicles, but more so from residents who have not placed tags on their vehicle or have not renewed them.

“For most part it’s someone who hasn’t put tags on but every rare occasion it will be a stolen vehicle from a robbery or something. The best thing to do is report it,” he said.

Bladensburg Police Chief Charles Owens said the department does not keep track of how many abandoned vehicle reports lead to the discovery of stolen vehicles, but said out of 75 cases of motor vehicle theft in 2011, 23 have been recovered locally.

Owens said he agreed with McNamara that abandoned cars present a hazard and need to be reported for the town to take action.

“It’s a problem in this entire area. It’s called blight. A lot of times people drop their cars off on the side of the street just to get rid of them,” Owens said. “It can represent a traffic hazard, especially at night. Sometimes in bad weather drivers can’t see them and crash in to them.”

McNamara said most of their reports come from business and shopping center parking lots, where people will take the tags and leave the car there. He said when that happens they speak with the owner or agent of the shopping or business center and have them sign off on the removal of the vehicle.

NEWS SOURCE

Used Car Buyers Beware: Flood-Damaged Vehicles Will Hit the Market Soon

2011-09-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

By Laura Rowley

Diane Zielinski bought a used car for her 17-year-old son at a dealership in Quakertown, Pa., about a decade ago. She paid $3,500 for the maroon Pontiac Grand Am. Three weeks later, her son called from a dark country road at 9 p.m. He had heard a loud bang, and then engine on the car had blown apart.

"There were pieces of engine and oil all over the ground," Zielinski recalls. "He could have been hurt."

While Zielinski called the dealer, her son came across the website for carfax a nationwide database that tracks vehicle histories. He entered the Grand Am's vehicle identification number, and learned that his car had been flooded in New Jersey during Hurricane Floyd, declared a total loss, and given a salvage title. Somewhere along the line after that, a clean title had been forged.

"The car should have been nowhere but in the junk yard," says Zielinski, who got no compensation from the dealer, and was charged $200 for towing it back to the dealership. (She refused to pay.)

Used car buyers should be on the lookout for flood-damaged cars following Hurricane Irene, one of the most destructive storms to hit the East Coast in decades. About half of flood-damaged vehicles find their way back to market, says Chris Basso, Carfax spokesman.

And, given the recent historic flooding in New England, "it could be in the tens of thousands of cars easily," he says. "It takes a few months for us to see those cars reappear for sale, but we expect the cars to start washing up all over the country before the end of the year." (Some 600,000 vehicles were damaged in the Gulf region in 2005 during Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita; Hurricane Ike in 2008 affected 100,000 vehicles in Texas, according to Carfax.)

How a 'Salvage' Car Gets a Clean Title

Flooded vehicles are dangerous because the water damages the mechanical and electrical systems that control safety features. That means anti-lock brakes and turn signals can fail, airbags may not deploy in an accident, or -- as in Zielinski's case -- the entire engine can simply blow up. "It's almost a ticking time bomb in terms of what's going to go wrong," says Alec Gutierrez, manager of vehicle of valuation at Kelley Blue Book.

Health issues are another concern. "This isn't Deer Park spring water that flooded the car," says Basso. "It has chemicals and filth that gets into the seats and ventilation, and can result in a buildup of mold and bacteria."

How do these cars wind up back on the market? Typically, an insurance company claim is filed on a flooded car, and it's declared a total loss or repaired. That information is reported to the state department of motor vehicles, and a "salvage title" is issued. Most of those vehicles are refurbished and resold through salvage auctions, and properly branded with full disclosure.

But a salvage dealer can purchase the car and move it to a state that doesn't track that information, resulting in a clear title from that state, says Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor for auto information website Edmunds.com. "When it's resold, the next buyer wouldn't know its history," says Reed. "We have 50 states and not all of them talk to each other. Sellers take advantage of that."

Sellers can also forge a fake title or try to alter the real one (the term "title washing" comes from a chemical scammers once used to remove the ink of the title brand). Used car shoppers should check the VINs of any car they are considering at Carfax, or the National Insurance Crime Bureau to see if the title has ever been branded. If so, walk away -- there are plenty of other choices.

What to Watch Out For

The other source of flood-damaged vehicles are individual sellers, who market the vehicles online or on the side of the road. "You could have a car that sat in standing water and then the owner tries to turn around and sell it," says Reed. "There will be no documentation of this, so the subsequent buyer would have to detect it by physical evidence on vehicle itself."

That evidence can include discoloration in the interior upholstery or carpet, or fabric that's been recently replaced; brittle, dry or flaky electrical wires under the dashboard; soot or rust in the trunk or engine bay; and a musty, mildewy or overly perfumed smell, says Gutierrez.

When turn on the ignition to take a test drive, make sure all of the warnings and accessory lights turn on, says Gutierrez: "If the lights are flickering or not working properly it could be another warning about electrical system."

The best line of defense is to take the vehicle to a mechanic you trust to check it out.

When she saw the recent floods, Zielinski's thoughts turned back to her family's experience a decade ago; she's worried other used car buyers will confront the same scam. "What upset me more than anything was to think my kid could have been hurt by buying this car," she says. "Anything could have happened."

NEWS SOURCE

Caroline changing property maintenance code

2011-09-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Numerous complaints cause commissioners to take action

By DANIEL DIVILIO Staff Writer

DENTON Caroline County officials are working on a new property maintenance code to address dilapidated and abandoned houses they think are blights on the area's landscape and safety hazards for neighbors.

Larry Porter, vice president of the Caroline County Commissioners, has been calling for the creation of a property maintenance code that will help rid the county of homes that have stood vacant for years or are otherwise causing neighboring property values to decline.

Caroline County Department of Planning and Codes Director Katheleen Freeman appeared Tuesday before the commissioners to discuss what such a code could include and enforcement issues.

"This is almost exclusively complaint-driven," said Freeman of the county's current enforcement efforts.

Freeman said her department is grappling with the issue of trash and junk car s in yards and partially collapsed homes. She said the department receives complaints about such properties, but lacks proper legal recourse to handle them.

Freeman said for those properties with junk and litter in the yards, Planning and Codes issues a notice for an illegal salvage yard operation. She said it is the only area of the county code addressing such an issue and letters citing it often cause recipients confusion.

Freeman said the code does address partially collapsed homes, though it only requires them to be boarded up so no one can get inside. She said that does not help address neighbors' concerns about having such a house remain standing next door.

Freeman said the county could look into expanding its nuisance ordinance, which now only addresses dust and noise, and Caroline County Administrator Ken Decker said the law could be amended to include junk, broken out windows and abandoned buildings.

Michael Savage, chief inspector for Middle Department Inspection Agency Inc., gave a presentation about his company's enforcement efforts on behalf of other jurisdictions. Savage showed pictures of various types of safety violations, both exterior and interior, Caroline could add to its code.

"If we enforced every line of that property maintenance code, we'd have a lot of homeless people in Caroline County," said Commission President Jeff Ghrist.

Ghrist said the commissioners' goal is to get rid of homes creating blights in neighborhoods. He said kicking people out, though, because they cannot afford repairs is going too far.

"My theory is if we are going to collect taxes from people based on the value of their property, we should at least have something in place that's going to help them protect the value of their property," he said

Most jurisdictions issue letters requiring a violation to be fixed within a center timeframe, but cases wind up in court and take much longer to be resolved, an issue Porter said he is concerned about. He said he wants to see the penalty phase addressed in any new legislation presented to the commissioners.

Freeman asked for two months to draft a new property maintenance code for the county and said she would bring it piecemeal for the commissioners' review while it is being created.

NEWS SOURCE

Corinth cracks down on junk vehicles

2011-09-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Reported by: Julee Brown
Email: jbrown@wtva.com

CORINTH, Miss. (WTVA) - The City of Corinth has had enough with the same junk vehicles just sitting. The final notice sent out this week gives residents 10 days to do something about these vehicles that have littered lawns for months and even years.

"We originally gave residents (a long grace period) a 30 day notice. But now that period of grace is shorter," said Kim Ratliff with Community Development and Planning.

Ratliff defined a junk vehicle as any vehicle not working, without a current license plate and a current inspection sticker.

Homeowner Larry Nelms is glad to know the city is cracking down and cleaning up the neighborhoods.

"In the last three months, there have been wreckers running just removing junk cars and unsightly sores to the public," Nelms said.

Mr. Nelms repairs and restores lawnmowers. While he's somewhat in the junk businesses, you wouldn't know it by the organization of his garages.

"The junk lawnmowers are fenced away so the public can't see it," said Nelms.

The city hopes that the residents receiving the letter will conceal their junk like Mr. Nelms or remove it all together to prevent further action.

The offense is considered a misdemeanor with a fine ranging from $10 to $100 per day.

NEWS SOURCE

Casey Anthony's car crushed for scrap metal

2011-08-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The white Pontiac Sunfire that Florida prosecutors used as evidence in the case against Casey Anthony has been destroyed.

WOFL-TV in Orlando reports that George Anthony took his daughter's car to a junk yard and turned the title over Thursday. The vehicle was crushed for scrap metal.

Prosecutors claimed there was evidence of human decomposition found in the trunk of the car. Attorneys for Casey Anthony disputed that claim.

Casey Anthony was acquitted last month of murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in a case that drew nationwide outrage. She was released from jail soon after.

NEWS SOURCE

CCP to remove junk vehicles lying in city

2011-08-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

PANAJI: The Corporation of the city of Panaji (CCP) has decided to remove 63 junk vehicles which are occupying public spaces after owners and government departments failed to act on notices served to them by the CCP.

''We will remove all junk ambulances, trucks, government cars, pickups, auto rickshaws and private four wheelers,' said Agnelo Fernandes, deputy commissioner, CCP.

CCP had directed owners and government departments to remove the vehicles from the streets within a fortnight through public notices. "We had informed the public by pasting notices on these vehicles and by issuing advertisements in the media.

NEWS SOURCE

Code Enforcers: Junk Cars

2011-08-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

CORPUS CHRISTI - In our Code Enforcers segment last week we explored the issue of illegal dumping at a spot on Evans Road near the city limits.

Most of the materials there were pretty typical (old tires, mattresses, furniture), but there was also a car, which is subject to a different ordinance that deals with abandoned vehicles.

It's a 1988 Chevrolet Camaro in rough shape, but still intact.

Code Enforcement Officer Ed Salazar says he checked an aerial photo from back in January, and it was in that photo.

"So it's been here at least since January of this year," he says.

"What's going to happen here is we're going to run that plate, identify the owner, or the last known owner of record, and any lienholders that might be interested in the vehicle, and notify them that they have 10 days to come and collect this vehicle."

The city's ordinance on junk cars came from the Texas Abandoned Motor Vehicle Act.

A vehicle is labeled a "junk car" if it has at least one expired tag and is inoperable for a period of 30 days or more.

If a notice is placed on a vehicle and the owner doesn't come forward to claim it within 10 days, the city can ask a judge for an order to tow it to a scrap yard.

"And we will destroy the vehicle, you will not get it back," explains Salazar.

"Once it's been confiscated under this law, it's gone."

In this case, Salazar says the orange sticker he put on the camaro was removed, but it's unclear who did that.

The city also contacted anyone who might have a financial interest in the car, but for several weeks, no one responded.

However, the owner finally came forward, and said he has every intention of removing the car.

He was told that if he moves the car before a judge can sign the order the tow and destroy it, it's his.

But if the city gets to it first, it's gone.

NEWS SOURCE

THEN and NOW: The Old Primeau Farm

2011-08-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

The pig farm on 124th Avenue was a longtime Rose Hill curiosity, finally bulldozed over after years of battle with the county

By Greg Johnston

Sometimes when I drive by Fire Station 26 on Rose Hill these days I recall what was there before for many years, and it's always with a certain sense of sadness. Fire Station 26 represents the new Rose Hill in my mind; the "Primeau pig farm," as everyone used to call it, represents old Rose Hill.

The Primeau family moved to north Rose Hill in 1948, from where I don't know, and lived on 13.5 acres at the intersection of 124th Avenue NE and NE 100th.

They had 14 children, and as the story was told back in the day, they were not poor at all. But it is safe to say that, in the long run anyway, they lived a hardscrabble existence, apparently at first operating a commercial pig farm along with a scrap collection business -- today it would be called a recycling business.

At some point Mr. Primeau died and over the years the kids all grew up and moved on. Irene Primeau remained on the property, keeping a menagerie of dogs, cats, chickens, goats, ducks, ponies, cows and other animals, all the while as the cabin deteriorated.

Neighbors complained about conditions, setting off a long-running battle between Irene and the county, which claimed it found instances of animal cruelty, as well as serious health and fire hazards. At least once during confrontations, a shot was fired into the air by a member of the Primeau family.

The black and white photo came from the files of the long-gone Kirkland weekly newspaper The Eastside Journal and is now in the archives of the Kirkland Heritage Society.

The date of the picture is unknown, but it doesn't really matter because this is exactly as the place looked for years. I'm going to say it was taken between 1966 and 1986, likely on the earlier side. Note there is a youngster waving, just to the right of the cabin's front door, perhaps one of the Primeau boys or a grandson.

Today, all that remains is the powerline tower in the background.

To me the photo is powerfully reminiscent, a reminder of days gone by. As a kid, the Primeau place was a curiosity, and we always looked while passing by, occasionally spotting Mrs. Primeau out tending her animals and marveling at the collection of junked cars, stacked boards and sheet metal, ramshackle wooden corrals and various barns and outbuildings in various states of repair.

Irene suffered a debilitating stroke in 1986, and her children sold the farm in 1988. The cabin and outbuildings were bulldozed and, according to reports, 50 truckloads of debris and junk were hauled away. Irene died in 1993.

Now the site hosts Kirkland's Fire Station 26 and a wonderful park, Rose Hill Woodlands. But somehow I miss seeing the Primeau place when I drive by today -- just like I miss all the other sights of the Rose Hill I knew while growing up.

As sure as the whiskers on my chin are gray, most of it is history now.

NEWS SOURCE

Mt. Holly keeps junk car ordinance as is

2011-08-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

Borough Council has put the brakes on a request to amend an ordinance designed to clear away junk cars from properties throughout Mt. Holly Springs.

Council last winter adopted an ordinance requiring all vehicles parked on lots within sight of the right-of-way to have updated insurance, registration and state inspection sticker.

The ordinance was in response to complaints council received from residents upset over seeing abandoned and rusted-out "eyesores" in their neighborhoods, council President James J. Collins II said this week.

This spring, the borough mailed out about 30 warning letters to local residents, he said, one letter for every vehicle reported to borough officials.

Each letter advised the resident to either bring the vehicle into compliance or park it in an enclosed structure out of view of the right-of-way.

In talking with borough police, Collins said, he learned that 20 to 25 of the vehicles have since been moved and are no longer a problem.

Leonard Guise received multiple letters for cars parked at his Chestnut Street property. In July, Guise asked council to consider amending the ordinance in regard to hobbyists working to restore old cars and residents who can't build garages in the flood plain.

The state does not require cars being restored to have registration, insurance and inspection, Guise said. He questioned why the borough is insisting on requiring that kind of documentation.

"We want some changes to make it easier for the hobbyists," Guise said.

While Guise is not the root cause of the ordinance, council cannot make an exception to a rule, Collins said.

"When you do an ordinance, it has to apply to everybody equally," he said.

As yet, no one has been cited under the nuisance vehicle ordinance, Collins said.

NEWS SOURCE

Commission adopts controversial regulations

2011-08-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

“It’s been a long, hard process,” said Natrona County Commission Chairman Ed Opella last week, following a vote to adopt controversial new “junk car" regulations in the county.

While opposition to the new regulations remains strong from some antique car buffs and other quarters, the revised rules attempt to ease a prohibition against rural residents having any inoperable, unlicensed vehicles in public view on their property. Under the new rules, one “unlicensed” vehicle is allowed in most zoning districts, and more can be added, under what’s being called a “collector car” variance.

“To have people come up here and say that they got absolutely nothin’ out of this whole thing really bothers me,” Commissioner Rob Hendry said about the number of vehicles allowed under the new rules. “Because where we started from is you could have none, zero. That’s where we started from ... and as long as you screen them so everybody doesn’t have to live with them, you can have whatever you want, whatever will fit on that piece of property ... that’s a tremendous victory.”

Some 40 people turned out for the hearing and, as in previous sessions on the matter, most remained opposed, often on the grounds the regulations were excessive or incomplete.

“We just want a legitimate answer why we’re discriminated against on the bigger trucks,” said collector Dana Jones, noting the commissioners supported equipment exemptions for farm and ranches. “They’re very collectable, they’re very desirable, they fit in exactly with collector items and antique cars.”

“They’ve made this text amendment a policing action,” said Evansville resident John Stevenson, noting to be eligible for a car variance, a person’s property first has to be in compliance with all zoning codes.

“There’s a lot folks that are in the county that aren’t very rich people, and so along the lines they built a chicken coop, and it doesn’t meet code compliance. They’ve built a shed, not code compliant. They did their own electrical work, not code compliant ... We all know there’s no way, there’s absolutely no way they’re going to be able to get a conditional use permit. You know it, and I know it.”

“It seems there are so many hoops to apply for a permit that it makes it, dare I say, impossible to achieve a permit for a lot of these properties that have very large assortments of cars,” said Bar Nunn resident Ryan Owen. “Some see ‘em as junk, but in actuality, they’re not junk.”

“Where in the Wyoming constitution does it give the legislature the authority, to give you the authority, that I have to ask your permission to rebuild a car on my property?” asked another resident.

As part of the process, the commissioners had put together a car ordinance review committee, made up of three “collector” car supporters, three concerned landowners and members of the County Planning and Zoning Board.

At last week’s meeting, the “collector” car committee members complained that many of their recommendations were ignored.

“I was on the original committee,” said Jones. “There were three people opposing, there were three people for, and those of us in opposition were heard very little, and I would appreciate somewhere along the way that we could be heard. We weren’t listened to, the opposing team was listened to greatly, and we were just totally ignored.”

“We’re close, but no cigar yet, there’s some things we need to work on,” said Stan Goodwin, a car committee member. “We have a lot of law abiding citizens out there that they’re going to say, ‘Well, I’m going to step outside the law, I don’t think I want to do this.’ So, are we making law abiding citizens conform to not being law abiding citizens?”

“I feel like I’ve been slighted,” said John Stevenson, who was also on the committee, noting no one on the Planning and Zoning Board had spoken with him, and only two commissioners. “The only discussion we’ve had is when I’ve been speaking into a microphone at one of these meetings.”

Even a newly appointed member of the County Planning and Zoning Board, George Tillman, was concerned that the commissioners didn’t support the board’s official recommendation on the variance fee.

“We recommended to you that the conditional use permit fee be reduced from the normal $300 to $100 for collector car storage conditional use permits, and that those fees be waived for the first year,” Tillman said. “I believe, from the adoption of the text amendment, that was an effort to get people to voluntarily comply with coming in and obtaining the necessary permits.”

While fewer in number at the meeting, public supporters of the bill said they were generally satisfied that something was beginning to be done to clean up the county and stop a lowering of property values.

“This reminds me an awful lot of what’s going on in Washington D.C.,” commented former state legislator and car committee member Dick Sadler, in a lighter vein. “I think we’ve got a pretty good compromise here. Like I say I didn’t get everything, Mr. Goodwin didn’t get everything, but I think it’s a good start, and I would hope that you would approve it.”

“I’m in favor of what you’re doing,” said another committee member, Don Wolcott. “It’s a hell of a project you’re taking on, and I respect the good work and the good nature that you guys have worked toward. I support your program.”

While the proceedings were generally civil, three sheriff’s deputies were in attendance, and at one point Chairman Opella asked them to remove one audience member. The exchange happened during the public comment period when Opella was being questioned about the vehicle size limit being set at 1 1/2 tons.

“What about the ones over 1 1/2 tons?” asked Jones during his turn at the lectern.

“That’s the limit,” said Opella.

“Why?” asked Jones.

“I’m sorry we can’t make everybody happy, so thank you,” Opella stated. “Next.”

That’s when Dick Gilbert, of Bison Wrecker Service, commented from the audience. “Sounds like Adolph Hitler to me ... just like Adolph Hitler in the ‘20s and ‘30s, you guys.”

“I’ll let you get away with that once, twice, that’s enough,” Opella said to Gilbert. “After that you can just leave.”

“I can leave, too,” Gilbert replied.

“Officer, would you escort him out,” Opella immediately told one of the sheriff’s deputies. “We’ll have a civil meeting here. I want to listen to everybody’s thoughts.”

Gilbert left peacefully, but not before smiling and giving a “V” sign with his hand as he got onto the elevator.

Later in the meeting, the vehicle size limit was eliminated in an amendment supported by Commissioners Terry Wingerter, Matt Keating and Rob Hendry.

Commissioners Opella and Bill McDowell opposed the change, with McDowell concerned that “we’re talking about the potential for garbage trucks, collectable dump trucks, collectable concrete trucks, a lot of vehicles ... above and beyond what the original intent of this amendment was.”

The revised regulations are a culmination of an 18-month effort by the commissioners to clean up the county, and start enforcing nuisance ordinances that had been little-used for nearly 40 years.

The controversy played out county-wide, as at one point letters were sent to all rural residents asking for compliance (even though most weren’t in violation). The matter also became an issue in last November’s election, further fueled after incumbent Commissioner Barb Peryam made a comment about wanting to “sic” code enforcement on one vocal resident. Peryam lost her re-election bid, but not before switching her position to become an ardent opponent of the proposed new regulations, as well as the commission.

Peryam was unable to attend last week’s meeting, but had her comments read into the record, saying the commissioners had exceeded their authority, and ending with:

“You have made this personal, and all the while claiming the contrary. Publicly you state you considered the politically correct answer, privately you rant and rave about getting back at those citizens ... when passed, this amendment will tie people up 24-7, 365 days a year, to defend their property rights. I’m ashamed of you as commissioners for allowing what could have been a worthwhile amendment to descend to this level. There’s an old saying, ‘boys will be boys’, but I prefer men to be men.”

Following the vote, Opella said there was still opportunity for fine points to be worked out, now that the basic ordinance was passed.

“There’s always room for improvement, so as things come forward we’ll probably look at them,” Opella said.

One of the caveats still to be considered is the grace period, where the application fee for the variance would be waived until residents get familiar with the new rules.

“At the next work session, we’re going to talk about a time period to forgive people the $300 if it’s [the variance application] made in a timely manner. We still need to discuss it, we didn’t want to do that tonight because we didn’t know if it [the new ordinance] would pass or not,” Opella said.

Even though the ordinance is now approved, Jones, who’s a key opponent of the measure, said he had retained legal counsel but hadn’t yet decided whether to challenge it in court.

NEWS SOURCE

BBB warns: Avoid buying flood damaged cars

2011-08-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

By Kay Johnson, Reporter

In a four hour period, Charlotte fire responded to 80 calls for service. Most of those calls were for people stranded in their homes or cars.

It's unclear how cars were damaged by the flooding but at Hunter Wrecker service, Mike Chitwood says once the rain started so did the calls for help.

He points to several waterlogged cars on the lot. Chitwood says many of the cars they pick up will be considered a total loss by insurance companies.

When a junk car is declared a total loss it should be sent to a junk yard and sold as scrap metal. But the Better Business Bureau warns many cars are sold as 'salvage' vehicles.

"Realize whenever [flooding] happens really anywhere in the southeast since Charlotte is such a big market, these cars have a tendency to end up in our market for sale," President of the BBB Tom Bartholomy said.

Bartholomy says a title should show a car is flood damaged. But that doesn't always happen, especially if the car is sold by an individual and not a reputable dealer.

And it doesn't take much to make a muddy car look practically brand new from the outside.

"Especially this soon after flooding - they'll be on Craiglist, classified ads..so you won't have any knowledge before hand what it has been through...there are things to look out for," Bartholomy said.

Those things include checking under the hood, in the trunk and beneath the seats for mud, rust or water damage.

Check hoses and flex wires under the dash to see if they bend or crack.

Bartholomy also suggests for the things that can't be checked out on your own, take the car to a mechanic you trust. He says it may cost a hundred bucks but it could save you more money in the long run.

Grief hard knowing car on its last legs

2011-08-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

It doesn't matter how many cars you buy and sell in your lifetime, parking one for the last time is not easy. You've undoubtedly seen many miles together, spent years together ... it's like an old friend.

Maybe letting go is easier when you're using your car as a trade-in, or selling it to another driver. At least then you know it will be given another chance. It will live to drive another day.

But when you have to sell your car for scrap because it's too old and broken down to be of any use to anyone, it's not a pretty sight. It's like watching that good old friend fade before your eyes: You know what's coming, but you still go through the five stages of grief.

First stage: Denial.

You hear a strange sound, but you're convinced it's coming from another car.

Tick, tick, tick. You turn down the radio to hear it better.

"Poor guy," you think to yourself, looking at the fellow in the beater next to you. "His car is going to pack it in any day now."

A few days later, you hear the sound again, but, you think it can't possibly be your car making that loud, rattling noise: RAP, RAP, RAP ... You turn up radio to fool yourself into believing that it's still another car.

"Man, I would hate to be THAT guy!" you laugh to yourself. You turn the radio up louder to drown out the annoying noise.

Second stage: Anger or resentment.

At this point, there's no denying that that ticking noise -- better known as a death rattle -- is coming from your car. And now, it's accompanied by a burning smell, kind of like the first time you tried pancakes on the barbecue. You swear and curse the day you ever laid eyes on "that" car.

"Piece of junk car! You're always breaking down! I never should have bought you in the first place. If one more thing goes wrong, I'll have you crushed ..."

You don't want to invest another dime because it has already cost you more than its share in headaches. You continue to ignore the signs.

Third stage: Bargaining.

The sound is louder; so much so that you can hear it over the stereo. The pine-tree shaped air freshener dangling from your rearview mirror is useless against that burnt-barbecued-pancakes smell. And strange puddles of autobodily fluids form under your car.

You know you should have taken better care of the ol' girl; you should have brought it into the shop with the first faint tick from under the hood since vehicles don't have the ability to heal themselves like people do. And you promise you will call your mechanic as soon as you get home ... as long as you can make it home.

"Please, pleeease, just get me home," you say as you gently rub the dash. "I promise I will be good to you. Just pleeeeease get me home!"

Fourth stage: Depression.

You have lived up to your end of the bargain. You made it to the garage and your mechanic gives you the bad news: She's a goner.

Only now does it hit you that you're going to have to say goodbye ... after saying goodbye to plenty of money keeping it going this last while.

It turns out that all those threats about taking the car to the scrap yard were self-fulfilling prophecies you wish you could take back. But it's too late.

And the fifth stage: Acceptance.

There's nothing that can be done to save your car. Dropping one more penny on the clunker is futile as the math will just never add up.

You realize that it's time to move on ... literally. You need a new set of wheels. You promise you will take better care of it, so it will last you a little longer ... and you can buy more time before you have to go through it all over again.

http://www.oldjunkcar.com

NEWS SOURCE

Participants crash cars in demolition derby

2011-08-05T04:37:00.000-07:00

Ryan Schumacher has a unique itinerary for his vacation. He likes to crash cars.

But that's the idea behind participating in the Washington County Fair's demolition derby.

Originally from Omaha, Schumacher now lives in Tallahassee, Fla., and is spending vacation time visiting family - and smashing a 2003 Dodge Neon into other compact cars.

"Last year was the first year," he said. "I have the same car (this year). Usually, I come just to hang out and work."

But that changed last year when he stripped the interior of the Neon, welded the doors shut, bolted down the hood and painted it a military green. Decals on the car thank veterans for their service.

"It was actually my Uncle Mark's idea (to salute the veterans)," Schumacher said.

This year he added several American flags. Other than that, though, the car is the same as last year when he finished second in the division.

"You wouldn't think there would be any fun in it," he said. "(But) it's awesome. It's a lot of fun, not a whole lot of aggression. ... Hopefully the car still runs after we do."

Last year, Schumacher finished behind Dan Crawley, who works for J&S Auto in Fremont. Both were back to compete.

Crawley brought the Ford Escort wagon he won with last year. The only difference is the paint job - it's black with pink accents this year.

He had participated in these events before, but took a 14-year break prior to coming back last year.

"I stopped because I got married and had kids," Crawley said. "I just wanted to do it for fun.

"We had that sitting there and (the boss) was going to get rid of the junk car. So I said, ‘Let me run it.'"

Before they could enter the arena on Wednesday, Crawley and Schumacher had to watch three heats of the bigger cars run.

It was a standing-room-only crowd as the demolition derby wrapped up this year's Washington County Fair. A little flying mud didn't bother those in the crowd. In fact, it was kind of expected.

After the derby, High Heel performed in the new Two Rivers Bank Arena.

Still, there is an upcoming event for those who like speed, mud and the possibility of crashes. Figure 8 races are scheduled for Aug. 20 at the fairgrounds.

NEWS SOURCE

Commission approves collector car amendment

2011-08-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, Natrona County has a new revised regulation for collector cars.

Not everyone likes it.

And some say maybe it can be made better.

Regardless, the county commission ended a nearly year-long dispute Tuesday when it created a land use category for collector cars, which will require property owners in certain zoning districts to obtain conditional use permits.

The meeting invoked some of the acrimony expressed last fall, when hundreds of people protested the "Better Homes and Gardens Gestapo," according to one critic, speaking of officials enforcing property codes, especially about collector cars.

Tuesday, one participant was ejected for dropping the H-bomb, and a letter from a former county commissioner bitterly criticized her former colleagues.

The text amendment before the commission defined collector cars as inoperable or unlicensed cars stored and maintained for preservation and allowed light-duty trucks. Besides obtaining conditional use permits, the amendment tied the permit to the permit holder and not the land, limited county code enforcement visits to twice a year, and required residents to maintain their lots.

Commission Chairman Ed Opella said that without changing the current zoning resolution, all unlicensed and inoperable vehicles would be regarded as junk cars, and subject to removal.

But Commissioner Matt Keating found a way to satisfy some of the strongest criticisms of the amendment.

The amendment, formally recommended by the county's Planning and Zoning Commission on July 13, stated conditional use permits could be obtained for collections of cars and light trucks with a payload capacity of up to 1.5 tons.

But it still prohibited two-ton pickups, fire trucks, semitrailers, buses and other large vehicles that are in some county residents' collections.

Several collectors asked why the amendment included that restriction.

Opella responded that the car collector category could not be open-ended. "At some point we have to make a cutoff, a ton-and-a-half," he said.

He later said, "Sorry, we can't make everybody happy."

That could be changed, collector Jerry Knight said. "My suggestion is to change it to any inoperable or unlicensed truck or any specialty vehicle, which would be over the ton-and-a-half limit."

Specialty vehicles could be fire trucks or wreckers, Knight said. "It's not necessarily a vehicle that's a car or truck."

But Opella countered that would open the collector concept to semitrailers and other large vehicles.

Amendment critic and collector Dana Jones also asked about the payload restriction.

Jone served on the original committee of three car collectors and three residents wanting stricter enforcement, he said.

He unsuccessfully pushed for an increase in payload capacity, he said. "Those of us in opposition were heard very little."

After the public hearing, Keating offered an amendment similar to Knight's suggestion to remove the 1.5-ton payload restriction.

After some wordsmithing, the amendment expanded the collector category to any inoperable, unlicensed vehicle - including parts vehicles -- which was licensed previously for highway use.

Knight liked it, he told the commissioners. "I think this would solve the problem."

Commissioner Bill McDowell didn't like it, saying it could open the door for garbage, dump and concrete trucks.

The other commissioners outvoted McDowell.

When it was done, they all voted for the change to the zoning resolution.

The meeting wasn't without some drama.

Cecil Gilbert of Bison Wrecking Service piped up at one point saying, "sounds like Adolf Hitler to me."

After a couple more similar comments, Opella asked a sheriff's deputy to eject Gilbert.

And former county Commissioner Barb Peryam wrote a letter castigating the current commission, which was read by amendment opponent Judy Jones.

The amendment gives the commissioners power to eventually destroy car collections that have been in the county for decades, Jones read from Peryam's letter.

"'Publicly, you consider the publicly correct answer, privately you rant and rave about getting back at some citizens,'" according to the letter.

"'I'm ashamed of you as commissioners for allowing what could have been a worthwhile amendment to descend to this level,'" Peryam wrote. "'There's an old saying that "boys will be boys," but I prefer men to be men.'"

NEWS SOURCE

Living Green: Neighbors turn Broad Ripple alley lot into garden

2011-08-03T03:46:00.000-07:00

Jeff Ayers, Indianapolis, is a waiter, musician and writer.

I moved into my little Broad Ripple bungalow about 20 years ago. Behind my backyard is a gravel alley that connects the two side streets that border my block. And right off this alley is a strip of land between two rental properties that had, over the years, become a real blemish. There was a junk car nestled among tall, scrubby mulberry trees in the area, which was overgrown with weeds and littered with trash blown in by the wind.

Eventually, the car was removed. I cleaned up the area a little bit and planted a few vegetables and flowers in a small patch. Then, in 2004, a new neighbor bought the house next to mine. He had a college pal, Dave Frohbieter, who also moved in.

Dave and I had both been avid gardeners for many years. But moving to this wonderful neighborhood inspired us to "up our game" because we're on the same block as the house and walk-through garden that belonged to Karl "The Flower Man" Theilig (who died at age 96 in 2003). This beautiful, historic property was designed like an English garden, only with plants and flowers that do well in our Hoosier climate. Karl began his landscaping business here in 1935, which grew to include selling perennials, annuals and cut flowers. Today, the business is run by his daughter, Helen.

Shortly after Dave moved here, he and I decided to combine forces, and we began to work in earnest to turn the area adjacent to our alley into a full-fledged flower and vegetable garden. Because we did not seek permission from either actual landowner, we called our project "The Squatters' Garden." (Since that time, we've met both of these folks, and they're quite pleased with the transformation.)

Our mutual friend, Sean Gelarden, brought in many large rocks to use in the border we created. Dave's brother, who works for the National Parks Service, helped us cut down the mulberry trees and expertly set our mini- boulders into the ground. A neighbor pulled out a pernicious mulberry stump and roots with his truck. We used cut logs and rocks for the border, and built tiers on one side with smaller stones, bricks and pieces of concrete statuary. These tiered sections are for annuals and shorter perennials. A series of little paths runs through the garden.

Early on, Dave and I decided we would divvy up the responsibilities: Dave primarily works on the flowers, and I am responsible for the vegetables. We jokingly refer to each other as "the Flowerstinians" and "the Vegraelis," though our level of cooperation and good friendship is far greater than our Mideast counterparts.

Dave and I have made improvements to the Squatters' Garden each year. This past year we cleared out an extra 15-foot-by-15-foot shaded section primarily for hostas. We also constructed two wire-fence compost bins. The garden itself is a strip of land approximately 18 feet wide and 60 feet long. We've packed it full with a variety of flowers, vegetables and fruits.

NEWS SOURCE

City: Junkyard must discontinue

2011-08-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

GARY HUFFENBERGER
Staff Writer

The city of Wilmington’s code enforcement official has informed the owner of Cartoons Auto Salvage on the far east end of Columbus Street that he must stop using the site as a junkyard.

But Gordon Bingham, the property owner, said Tuesday he was running a salvage business on the site prior to September 2008 when Wilmington City Council banned junkyards within city limits, and moreover, he said he has a salvag e license from the state.

Bingham feels that because his salvage operations predate the city ordinance prohibiting junkyards in town, his salvage business is grandfathered in and thus legal.

However, Wilmington Code Enforcement Official Ernie Blankenship wrote a letter this month to Bingham in which he alleges the use of the land as a junkyard violates the city planning and zoning code. Blankenship wrote that he researched the city’s files “and no certificate of occupancy for your business was found.”

Such a certificate, wrote Blankenship, “if obtained prior to the ordinance passing [in September 2008], may have allowed you to have a non-conforming use” of the in-town parcel of land as a junkyard.

The 805 E. Columbus St. parcel, which is about 3.9 acres in size, is in a district zoned industrial, according to city officials. The September 2008 ordinance prohibited a junkyard use in all zoning districts inside the city, according to a copy of the ordinance.

This segment of Columbus Street is north of Rombach Avenue.

On Tuesday, Bingham said, “We’re not here to make an eye-sore for the city. We’re willing to work within the guidelines.”

He added he does need to put up more privacy slats to obscure the scene of the junk vehicles from nearby streets. The fencing will probably get installed in a few weeks, he said.

A quick check by Bingham’s office manager turned up a state salvage license going back to 2005.

Wilmington City Hall has received complaints about the junkyard, including at a city council meeting last Thursday during public comment.

Bingham operates B&M Transmission at the same East Columbus Street location as Cartoons Auto Salvage. The two businesses employ seven people.

NEWS SOURCE

CK, NK properties face abatement order for old cars and junk

2011-08-01T04:38:00.000-07:00

PORT ORCHARD — Colin Young, known for his collection of old cars and related junk, has been ordered to clean up his residential property in the Spirit Ridge neighborhood of Central Kitsap and to remove junk cars from his mother's property on Big Valley Road in North Kitsap.

The two orders from Kitsap County's "violations hearing examiner" confirm that a nuisance exists on both properties. If Young does not complete the cleanup himself, Kitsap County will proceed with abatement proceedings, according to Steve Mount, Kitsap County's code-enforcement officer. The next step would be a court order allowing the county to hire a contractor to clean up the property at Young's expense, he said.

During a June 23 hearing, Mount told Hearing Examiner Kimberly Allen that most of the cars on the Spirit Ridge property had been removed, but remaining on the property were parts, tools, fluids, tubs, floor items and inoperable motorcycles. At the time, the site was still considered a nuisance.

Young told Allen that the motorcycles are more appropriately called "dirt bikes," and he argued that they are not vehicles, because they are not legal for street use, according to Allen's written findings. Allen considered Young's argument before concluding that the motorcycles are vehicles and junk under state and county laws.

Young took responsibility for the vehicles on his mother's Big Valley Road property, which he deeded to her in February this year. He admitted that some of the cars have been there for two years and asked for 60 days to remove all the vehicles from the property.

Allen's order gives Young 60 days to remove the remaining vehicles. Young might also appeal the examiner's findings to Kitsap County Superior Court.

In 2007, following a private lawsuit filed by neighbors, Young removed an estimated 200 vehicles from the same 13 acres of undeveloped property near Manor Farm Inn. Since then, however, many have been returned to the site.

By Christopher Dunagan

When forced to take action or undergo financial penalties in 2007, Young moved an estimated 100 vehicles to a site zoned for industry at Gunderson and Bond roads north of Poulsbo. Property owner Bill Arness said the vehicle storage was to be a short-term arrangement. After four years, Mount said Arness will need to make sure the vehicles are removed soon or he might face abatement action as well.

Meanwhile, neighbors living on Frontier Road north of Silverdale reported that Young has begun moving some cars to vacant land in that location. Mount said he has advised the property owner to meet with county planners to determine what permits and conditions might allow for vehicle storage on the property.

NEWS SOURCE