October 24, 2005 Recessed Meeting on Trees/Fences around Junkyards

The Hamblen County Commission met at 6:00 pm today to continue discussion of a resolution to require that junkyards in the county put up fences or trees around their businesses--where the business fronts on a county road.


The resolution was a bit more complicated than the above, but that pretty well sums up the proposal.

There was a great deal of back-and-forth about whether there should be "trees or fences" or "trees and fences" (for junkyards that are below road level).

There were safety concerns about at least one junkyard located on a curve where trees or a solid fence would actually create a safety hazard for those entering back onto the road from the business.

In the end, the proposal was sent back to the Public Services Committee with a recommendation that Commission work with KAB (Keep America Beautiful) and with the owners to see if there is grant funding available to plant trees along the county roads in front of the businesses.

If Commission and KAB provide monetary or other assistance on this, I added a recommendation that the trees be planted as close as practicable so that we can shield the parts and scrap from view as quickly as possible.

Of course, we will have to decide who is responsible for maintaining the trees and for replacing any that die.

This issue has been in the Public Services Committee for some time now.

Everyone recognized that these businesses perform a valuable service to the county in crushing junk cars, providing parts for repairs, and recycling iron, steel, aluminum, etc.

Citizens along Pinebrooke Road came to commission several months ago seeking to protect their property values and to improve the appearance of the community by requiring fences or trees around junkyards-- while making it clear that they did not want to force any junkyard owner out of business.

After the proposal was drawn up, the owners asked for more time (5 years instead of 3) to address the problem, and some expressed concern about the cost of a fence.

I sincerely hope we can resolve this at the November 14th Public Services meeting with a proposal that will make the Pinebrooke area and all of Hamblen County a better, more beautiful place to live.

If the county and KAB help with the cost and planning, I would hope that we can address this problem within one or two years.