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Route 81 tire dump shut down but tires still there
Liz Montgomery is reporting for Porcupine Soup that a New York State Supreme Court judge has ordered a tire dump on State Route 81 to be shut down. But as of Sept. 19, six days after the deadline set by the court for all tires to be removed, tires still cover portions of the property. On Aug. 30, Justice Richard Mott signed an order against Green Tire Recycling, permanently prohibiting them from operating a tire dump business at 1113 and 1131 State Route 81 in Climax. The dump contains thousands of tires and according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, does not have a permit to operate despite its ongoing operation since 2020. Mott’s made his ruling after the town of Coxsackie took steps to close the dump, contending the facility is in violation of New York State Property Maintenance Code, New York State Fire Code, Coxsackie Town Code, and Coxsackie Town Zoning Law. Property owners Corey Mergendahl, Sharon Lampman, and Shane Foster had until July 29 to respond to the complaint, but none of them appeared or submitted a response. The trio also failed to respond to notices of violation from the town of Coxsackie that were sent this spring. Their inaction ultimately led to the town taking the matter to state Supreme Court. The town will next seek court-ordered sanctions. Specifically allowing the town of Coxsackie and/or the DEC to remove the tires, refuse, junk and garbage, then adding the cost of that cleanup to the property tax bill owed to Greene County. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.