Town of Chemung

CHEMUNG BEGINS CLEANUP OF DUMPSITE:

A drive down little-used Old River Road in the town of Chemung used to reveal a staggering array of junk piled on either side of the road.

Now, after 15 years of battling with the owner of an unlicensed junkyard over the debris, the town of Chemung has won at least one victory in an effort to clean up the area.

I wrote in this space a month ago about the town's long war with Joseph Carnrike over the junkyard he continues to operate, even though it hasn't had a permit for years.

At issue were piles of debris -- old appliances, automotive parts, vehicles, building material, oil drums, scrap metal and other items -- that not only crowded the county-owned road but also sat dangerously close to the Chemung River.

With the help of a private contractor, Chemung County, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the private group River Watch, the town recently took the first step in cleaning up the mess.

Because the county owns the right-of-way on either side of the road, they didn't need anyone's permission to remove junk from that portion.

Chemung Town Supervisor George Richter struck a deal with a recycling contractor, Upstate Machinery of Tioga Center, N.Y., to do the cleanup work at no cost to taxpayers.

The contractors figured they would be able to recover enough scrap metal to sell to offset their costs, Richter said.

It recently took a small army working all day to clean up the highway right-of-way, where the mess was even more extensive than anyone thought, Richter said.

"We were impressed by the amount of debris that really was there," Richter said.

"The contractor sent 60 tons of demolition and construction waste to the Chemung landfill, not to mention a couple hundred tires that have not been recycled.