Used tires finally removed from Summer Lane

The 22,000 tires which have inhabited the end of Summers Lane in Reidsville for at least the past 50 years have finally been removed.

The tires have been an eyesore and a nuisance to the surrounding community. Due to the large amount of tires, which were pooled with water, mosquitoes took over the neighborhood – so much so that those residing nearby couldn’t enjoy their own backyards.

Rockingham County officials also declared the tires a fire hazard.

The tire issue first came to the attention of Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Code Enforcement Officer Tinker Woods in 2009 after complaints were filed about the mosquitoes as well as suspicious activity in the area.

Property owner Jerry E. Billingsley was notified of the problem and he made efforts to clean up the tires, but in the end, he was unable to do so.

Billingsley is related to the Billingsley family that owned Gem Dandy’s Auto, which used to be located near Summers Lane. The family allowed dumping on the property. No charges will be filed against Jerry Billingsley because he inherited the property and those responsible are no longer living, according to Woods.

In January the county hired Central Carolina Tire Recycling to remove the tires. The contract cost the county $60,000. However, NCDENR’s Scrap Tire Fund will reimburse the county.

Once the state receives an invoice on the cleanup costs, it will turn around and invoice Billingsley. If Billingsley can’t pay, the state will start procedures on taking a lien against the property.

Woods said it took six days to clean up the tires. The total process took longer due to the rainy weather this month.

“They couldn’t get in and do a lot of the work for several days,” Woods said.

Woods said once they were on site, they worked hard and removed the tires quickly. Six to seven people worked each day in the cleanup efforts but used machinery to remove the tires.

Though mosquitoes were still prevalent in the area last Thursday, Woods hopes the colder weather will kill off most of them. The cold weather also protected employees of Central Carolina Tire Recycling from snakes possibly making nests with in the tires.

Another difference created by the removal of the tires is that the soil is now solid. Prior to the removal, people walking across the lot would bounce from the rubber buried underground.