Corinth probes auto junkyard noncompliance

CORINTH – A neighbor’s complaint has spurred the Board of Selectmen to bring a junkyard into compliance with regulations – 21/2 years after granting the owners a five-year license to operate.

The Board of Selectmen and town manager refused to state why the junkyard permit was issued by the town in November 2001 when the facility did not meet state statutes.

“It was issued and that was the municipal office’s business at that time,” Town Manager Donald Strout said at Thursday’s special board meeting to address the issue.

Joseph “Tuddy” Strout Sr. and his son operate Strout’s Auto Park, an auto junkyard and recycling operation. An estimated 300 to 700 vehicles occupy the property.

Allen Stehle, a nearby neighbor of the business, claimed in December that Strout’s business is not in compliance with laws that establish standards for the operation of junkyards and automobile graveyards.

“This permit shouldn’t have been issued until all this work had been done,” Stehle said Thursday. “This is the tail wagging the dog.”

“This is not a personal issue,” Stehle said after the meeting. “The town needs to enforce its own statutes. I’m just asking the town to do what it’s legally supposed to.”

At Thursday’s special meeting, the Strouts met with town officials to develop a timeline in which they hope to bring the facility up to code.

A plot plan of where vehicles and waste are located on the property is the first step. This includes a soil analysis to be completed by June 1, according to the agreement between the town and the Strouts.

In addition, the Strouts are to drain the fluids from all cars and store or remove the vehicles from the site by Dec. 31 of this year. The town will complete its annual review of the facility’s permit then. If it does not conform to regulations, board members said they would not likely reissue the permit or allow the owners an extension.

“We ought to try to come into compliance by the annual review date,” Selectman Wendell Harvey said.

The Strouts have been trying to get a crusher to speed up the process, but it’s difficult, they said. With a crusher they can remove 25 to 30 cars per day. Without one, that number is reduced to five.

“I’ll try my best to do it, but I don’t think I can get it done,” Joseph “Tuddy” Strout Sr. told the board. “I can’t promise you something I can’t do.”

In addition to dealing with vehicles already on the property, the Strouts are continuing to receive more vehicles. In addition, the Strouts have yet to construct a fence around the site.

“I’d rather see him take the time to do it right this time, rather than come back to it every other year,” code enforcement officer Dalton Mullis told the board.

The board agreed that if the Strouts can meet all other aspects of the statute by Dec. 31, it will allow them to continue doing business and set a goal to complete the fence by June 30, 2005. The town is more concerned with the environmental issues at the facility than the visual impact.

“We’ve all said we’d rather see the effort put on the fluids rather than the fence,” Selectman Frank Thomas said.

Stehle is considering taking further legal action if necessary in order to have the laws that are in place enforced, he said.

The board will decide at its next meeting how it plans to chart the progress of the Strouts’ business. Their intent is to visit the facility to meet with the family in early June to see what progress has been made.