To reopen waste site

Supervisors reversed an earlier decision and have decided to reopen the waste tire site at the corner of Johnson Smith Road and Cemetery Road “as soon as we can get it cleaned up and ready” in order to take care of what Roger Ginn and Billy Bridges say is a backlog of waste tires being held by landowners waiting for a disposal site.
The waste tire site was shut down last September after the tires had not been picked up for some time and people began dumping trash and other materials onto the site, designed for waste tires and white goods only.
Supervisor Roger Ginn said county workers will need a boom axe and a few days to get the site cleaned up and back in operation to accept waste tires. He said residents have blocked the entrance to the site by dumping tires, trash, old furniture and other debris illegally at the entrance.
The board said once they get the site back in operation, it will be monitored to prevent further misuse. They said when it first reopens, they will extend the tire dump limit—which limits residents to dumbing five or six tires—to double the amount, 10 or 11 tires—until the backlog of old tires being held by local landowners can be reduced.
The board has agreed to rehire Darrel Ratliff to oversee the site and monitor what is being dumped on a two-day-a-week basis.
Ratliff’s salary will be discussed in a closed session before the site’s reopening.
The site will operate until supervisors construct a new transfer station for solid waste on county property off Ira Magee Road. The transfer station will also include a new facility for disposal of waste tires and white goods. Like solid waste, waste tires and white goods will be held at the facility until they are picked up and transported to a disposal/recycling facility.
The Johnson Smith Road/Cemetery Road site will be reopened as soon as supervisors can get the old site back in operation.
“As soon as the old site is ready we’ll let the public know when waste tire collection resumes,” board president Doug Popwell said.