Pennsylvania Fire Captain Takes Legal Action Against Plains Township Mans Junkyard

PLAINS TWP. -- Junk treadless tires with no future, sections of lawn chairs, the back half of an old pickup truck, empty boxes, a dismembered picnic table, a moving truck rumored to be loaded with garbage and a varied pile of rubbish.

A wood chipper, 10 feet tall and eight feet wide, is parked on the roadside and a fenced-in dog resides in the middle of the littered yard.

Neighbors call the scene an eyesore and, after years of complaints, worry it will never be cleaned up. The fire captain describes it as fire just waiting to happen and a harbor for rats.

A citation was filed Tuesday with District Judge Diana Malast, charging Clark R. Watkins of 197 Courtright St. with failing to follow the townships dumping ordinance, Fire Captain Tom Antosh said.

Antosh said he gave Watkins, who owns a hauling and tree removal business, several warnings to clean up the yard and issued a July 25 deadline to have the majority of junk removed.

I was willing to work with the man, Antosh said. I told him several times, if he didnt begin working to remove the junk, we would file charges.

Antosh said he became so aggravated by Watkins failure to comply with the warning, he came in on his day off to take care of the ongoing issue.

Neighbors also became increasingly aggravated by Watkins junkyard over the years.

David Yudkowitz, 46, of 205 Courtright St., said that he has been complaining about the problem for more than three years to no avail. I would attend council meetings, and they (township officials) would keep putting the problem off.

Yudkowitz lives directly next door to Watkins and said he cannot deal with the problem anymore.

Yudkowitz most recently spoke out at a July 15 commissioners meeting.

Over the years, Watkins has been cited frequently with loading trash in his yard, not maintaining his lawn and blocking exit doors, Antosh said. In 1994, Watkins home caught fire and firefighters had a tough time fighting the blaze because of several broken-down automobiles blocking access to the home. We had to have a tow truck come to the site in order to access the fire, Antosh said.

Watkins has the right to appeal the citation, but if found guilty he could be fined up to $300 daily until the mess is cleaned up, Antosh said.

Distributed by the Associated Press