I am very displeased about the recent (free) tire roundup facilitated by City and Borough of Juneau for Lemon Creek, and Lemon Creek only. We all know that some homeowners in Lemon Creek have allowed their yards to become unsightly beyond description. CBJ’s part in it is their failure to enforce existing codes regarding trash/debris in individual yards, although they have the authority to fine a homeowner and ultimately seize property for noncompliance. CBJ let it become the eyesore it is, then turns around and forgives the offenders by making the rest of us pay to throw away their garbage.
I just got off the phone with Rob Steedle, the CBJ employee who facilitated the free tire roundup. Rob’s a great guy but I disagree with his thought process regarding this action. His platform for this action does not hold water, in my opinion. I asked him why I had to pay for Lemon Creekers to throw their tires away for free and he compared it to the vans that take chronic inebriates to the ER, and to the flowers in the median, that we all have to pay for. I strongly disagree with that reasoning. The inebriate is a danger to himself and others, and we all get to enjoy the beautiful flowers. There is no comparison.
I just went to the dump as I wanted to clean up and throw away some things both in the yard and in the house. The tare came to $174. I could have used that money to put better food on my table for my family, or done something special for them as frankly, I struggle very hard to make ends meet.
I do thank CBJ for the junk vehicle roundup once or twice a year, but can you imagine if it only pertained to certain neighborhoods? Tonsgard is now getting $479 for a junk vehicle, and there is no more free scrap metal dropoff. Tires are $10 each off rim and much more than that on rim. It’s expensive to get things here, and it’s expensive to get rid of things here, perhaps we could work on a solution that works fairly for everyone.
I fully expect a downtown tire roundup, a Douglas tire roundup, a valley tire roundup and an out-the-road tire roundup. Soon, snow’s about to fly.
Linda A. Orr,
Juneau