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Opinion: Editorial

Dump the dump

Thursday, April 3, 2008 2:18 PM EDT

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What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

And a junkyard, no matter what you call it -- transfer station, recycling center, salvage yard -- is still a dump.

Bracken County magistrates may now face a decision on whether or not to allow a business defined as a collection center for recyclable materials to be established along property on Kentucky 9 and Dutch Ridge Road.

Cynthia Thompson, an attorney for Jay Pritchard and his business partner, Chuck Hickman asked the court last week to forego a current moratorium order on such businesses and instead give its blessings to the proposed operation. The attorney asked court members to keep an open mind when considering the proposal and the benefits it could bring -- the creation of a few jobs and a ready drop-off site for those wanting to clear nuisance properties of accumulated junk.

Thompson went on to tell the court her clients said the business would only operate as a collection center and would not allow more than one inoperable vehicle on the site at any given time. She also assured magistrates there would be no processing and no chemicals or fumes to pollute the air.

Finally, Thompson said her clients plan to use an existing barn, privacy fences and trees to make sure the business does not become an eyesore to those traveling along Bracken County's portion of the AA Highway.

Sorry, but we're not buying and we hope magistrates agree.

No matter how desperate the county may be to attract business along the AA Highway, surely no one believes a junkyard is an acceptable alternative to a small manufacturing firm or even a convenience store in a county where tourism is the fastest growing industry. And while intentions may be good in the beginning to keep the site attractive, the opportunity for those intentions to be abandoned are simply too great.

The court's uncertainty over wherever its current regulations are even enforceable given the description of the "collection center" is a direct consequence of its failure to act upon zoning and planning, a full four years after it was first proposed and five years after a comprehensive plan was adopted. With zoning and planning in place, this would be no issue at all.

There is nothing more beautiful then the rolling hills of Bracken County covered with snow in the winter, the colorful leaves of autumn and particularly in the spring when the redbuds are in bloom. To mar the scene with a junkyard in exchange for a job or two, would be criminal and a far too hefty price for the meager benefits that might be realized.

We urge magistrates to turn back efforts that would allow that to happen.

Reader Comments

Comments are limited to 200 words or less.

Just Down the Road wrote on Apr 21, 2008 12:28 AM:

" I live less than a quarter of a mile from a privately owned recycling center (junk yard) in Mason County. This place is not just noisy and an eyesore, it it a traffic accident waiting to happen. On Saturday, April 19, there were as many as 10 vehicles pulled over waiting to take their junk to this place. (Yes, I am positive, I counted them, about half of them turned around in my private drive) This was a typical Saturday morning. Individuals headed east toward Maysville on US 62 have to drive on the wrong side of the highway to get around the line of vehicles. This is at the top of a hill where there is poor visibility to see oncoming traffic. Tractor-trailers block the highway completely when pulling in or out of that place. Amazing.....that there hasn't been a serious traffic accident out here. "

Bracken County citizen wrote on Apr 11, 2008 1:43 AM:

" sorry, there is more than enough "junk" on the AA highway, as it is. Keep the Bracken County side clean, Please. Cause just past the county line, is a big enough mess for Mason and Bracken Co. "

Amazing... wrote on Apr 7, 2008 7:55 AM:

" The writer of this letter must have a regular paycheck coming in and does not depend on self-employment in order to survive. Their yards and neighborhoods are well kept and there is no need to have a collection center to take items that cannot be picked up by their garbage collector. I am sure everyone would like to see a small manufacturing firm come into the area; but, the odds of that happening are getting smaller and smaller in this economy. Here are two individuals who are trying to open a business that would benefit the area and generate some jobs. It may just be two jobs now; but, that is a start. If the area is concerned about how the owners will maintain the property in the futre, the courts can enforce the rules and impose stiff penalties if they violate the rules. Come on people...it's time to start thinking outside the box and realize that not every collection center will become an eyesore and realize that the pretty snow-covered hills and beautiful fall foliage does not feed families or generate tax money for the county. "

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