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Show Possible fire danger Dumping causes hazard to city CEDAR CITY - Last week's fire south of the Cedar City Animal Shelter was only one of many during the past year, and is only the tip of the problem iceberg, according to Cedar City Fire Chief David Bentley. According to the Chief, many people are illegally dumping garbage south of the City's animal shelter causing many fires, as well as an eyesore. According to Bentley, the site was primarily designed for fill materials, such as dirt and other nonflammable items. He also added that the fires create a hazard for the City because they come close to high tension power lines that serve the south end of the state; thus, he has to fight the fires, costing the City thousands of dollars each year. "People aren't supposed to be dumping trash there; they are supposed to be taking that type of material to the city landfill," he said. City Manager Joe Melling explained that the City has cleared the land a number of times for landowner Lewis Webster. Webster assured Melling that he would build a fence around the site so people would be unable to dump trash there. According to Melling, however, Webster never built the fence around the site, thus leaving it open for people to dump trash. "I'll get around to building it one of these days; the main problem is money," said Webster. He also added that other than financial problems he really doesn't have any excuse for not building the fence. "I thought I was being a good guy by letting people dump there, but its turns out that I'm the bad guy," he said. He went on to say that a lot of people use the place because they don't have to go as far. But the only items that should be dumped there are dirt, cement and things of that nature. "People are stupid. They don't care where they dump or what they dump; the place is a mess," said Webster. According to the Cedar City Police Chief Douglas Bolton, the police department can't really do anything about it because the City does not have jurisdiction over the privately-owned land. He did add that they do patrol the highway and the right-of-way surrounding the area but have not issued any citations yet." At the present time, the City cannot do anything without the cooperation of the land owner, said City Manager Joe Melling. He also added that a couple of years ago, the City issued citations, and the cases were thrown out of court because the City has no jurisdiction. "I can't sit around the area and watch people 29 hours a day," said Webster. He went on to say, "Money is the big problem. People are concerned about gas and such, and they don't want to drive clear out to the City dump, so they dump it on my property." |
