THE ongoing saga between council authorities and a regional scrap metal operator continues to escalate as frustrations spill over between both parties.
Mount Gambier junkyard operator Keith Pearson – who has been embroiled in ongoing council legal issues for 14 years – yesterday denied discarding rubbish along the roadside outside his scrap metal quarry in Compton.
This follows Grant District Council elected members describing the situation as “disgraceful” and ordering a ratepayer-funded clean-up of the site.
Council will pick up the full cost of the clean-up – estimated to cost up to $14,000 – because it cannot prove who dumped the rubbish.
But a defiant Mr Pearson yesterday challenged the council to come and pick up the junk outside his Environment Protection Authority (EPA) licensed quarry on Megaw Road.
“If they want to come and pick it up, knock themselves out,” Mr Pearson told The Border Watch yesterday morning.
At council’s full meeting on Wednesday night, one elected member was scathing of the situation and raised fears over public safety along Megaw Road.
Cr Alan Hill – who lambasted the people behind the dumping – said he went to the site recently and took photographs.
During his scathing attack, Cr Hill did not specifically name Mr Pearson as the culprit.
“This guy is running around and it is just crazy stuff going on. It is absolutely disgraceful what is going on,” Cr Hill said.
“This council has been given the run around. I really feel sorry for staff because they are really being put under pressure.”
He called on council to take “some positive” action.
“I have had enough of it. While I don’t like pushing council staff into it, we have been battling this for more than two years – three, four or five years really.”
Council environmental services director Leith McEvoy said he had obtained a number of quotes for contractors to pick up the rubbish.
“The sad thing about it is that we could do the work and it could well be back there in similar condition – that is what we are dealing with,” Mr McEvoy said.
He conceded the biggest issue was proving who was dumping the rubbish.
“It is in front of his property, but you have to prove it is the landowner,” Mr McEvoy said.
While the need for surveillance cameras was suggested, it was revealed the devices were often stolen when they were set up.
Mayor Richard Sage suggested the scrap metal could be taken to council’s waste transfer station to “help pay for some of the costs”.
Acting chief executive officer Graeme Maxwell – who has attended the site – also described the state of the roadside as “disgraceful”.
“I don’t thinking cleaning it up is going to prevent it from coming back again unfortunately, I don’t have a solution for what is going to be an ongoing problem,” Mr Maxwell said.
“The reason we have been putting off engaging a contractor is we have been trying to save council between $12,000 and $15,000 in removing it at our cost.
“But there doesn’t seem to be any speed – on the other side of the argument – to get rid of it. We have been patient for long enough.
“We were originally told a contractor would be at the site at the beginning of June – it is now the end of June.”
Mr Maxwell yesterday re-issued a warning for people not to illegally dump rubbish in the district.
