Posted by Tug Boat Lonnie (aka Gen Grant) on Friday, December 06, 2002 at 3:33PM :
In Reply to: Re: Why junkyards disappear in California posted by Reed on Friday, December 06, 2002 at 1:57PM :
I doubt that one junkyard in 100 over 40 years old would pass any kind of soil sample test. Heck, most residences over 50 years old could not pass one of these tests (pesticides, oil, paint, etc). The city is not interested in working WITH this guy to correct any deficiencies if there are any. They have made it very clear that they are out to get him any way they can because his 50 year old yard does not fit into the new character of the neighborhood. These folks didn't complain when they bought their houses for less because it was down the street from a junkyard.
Maybe the answer would be to close down ALL but the newest "state of the art" yards and ship all the cars and trucks overseas to be dismantled and recycled "crushed". Heck, that's what we did with the steel industry, the shipyards, and most of the heavy manufacturing. Let the foreign guys worry about soil samples.
As we continue to break records for trade deficits we might be better off to pause and not be so hasty to crucify the junkyard owners, especially those in business for so many years. You will notice that most of them are not going to work in a limo.
The city has a right to expect that oil, gas, and other fluids are drained and disposed of properly. But the city has to realize that you can't tear down 50 years of autos and trucks without getting a bit on the ground.
This guy has had it. He will be driven out of business without a penny after legal fees and mandated cleanup expenses and the city (us) will pay a lot more money to convert this ground to a proper setting for town homes. The town home residents will live there for 20 years and then sue the city (us) because they developed spleen cancer and blame it on the old junkyard that used to be there and the city (us) that didn't clean it up right the first time.
Witness the downtown Los Angeles Belmont Learning Center. This is a 160 Million dollar high school that has never seen a student (and never will) because it was built over a deep oil well operated many years ago. Now after removing all the top soil, replacing it, and erecting the buildings, they found a fault and cant figure out if its active on not.
So when our grandchildren are working at McDonalds we can at least be thankful that they aren't burdened with jobs that involve any chemicals, oil, ships, cars, trucks, or dirt. Or was that such a bad thing?
Best Wishes
Lonnie
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