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City, citizens reach out to TDEC for solution to Toles’s residential tire dump
By: WILLIAM NORTHCUTT
Staff reporter
Even after many citizen and business complaints, even after numerous citations and fines given to Leslie Toles for the large number of tires dumped on Bowen Lane property, the tires remain piled up, mosquito infested, and polluting the ground. The City of Dyersburg Mayor and Aldermen met with officials from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), asking for help in resolving the situation without using taxpayer dollars to remove the tires.
Mayor John Holden held the meeting at City Hall on August 9, and Aldermen present included Willie Cole, Ricky Hammond, and Dennis Moody, as well as Aldermen-at-Large Edward Burks and Rick Crawford. City staff present included Codes inspectors Thomas Mullins and Kevin Joslin, Dyersburg Fire Department (DFD) Chief Brett Sipes, and Future City Recreation Center Director Jannifer Ross. Citizens attending included Learvinia Jackson, Duane Jackson, and Alfred Taylor. Representatives present from TDEC included Environmental Consultant Jeremy Hooper, Regional Director for External Affairs Rudy Collins, and Environmental Scientist Faith Crawford.
Holden began the meeting by reviewing the issues both the city and county have had with Leslie Toles on Bowen Lane. The county, Holden said, has already spent $14,000 cleaning up tires belonging to Toles. He noted that the city has sent notices, that TDEC has sent notices. He said, Toles “has been in and out of court” but continues to stockpile the tires. [See the State Gazette story, published online, September 20, 2023: https://www.stategazette.com/story/3010826.html].
Holden continued, “We’re trying to avoid the taxpayers having pay. We removed them ourselves years ago.” He told the TDEC officials that he had invited them to the meeting to get their suggestions and their help, possibly with funds for cleanup.
Hooper replied, “If someone dumps something, we will try to go after them, make them clean it up, but as you know...Our challenge is, we send him violation notices and fines, but if he doesn’t mind going to jail...it puts us in a weird spot.”
Hooper added that Governor Bill Lee had recently signed into law legislation that requires people or companies to document the source of the tires, the one transporting them, and the dumping site—“cradle to the grave.” Hooper said, “However, there’s no silver bullet.” He remarked that in similar cases, the mess is cleaned up but that this case is “Unique—this guy is still doing it.”
Duane Jackson, a neighbor to Toles on Bowen Lane addressed those present, saying, “We retired here and we’ve come to love it here.” He said, however, that the tires on Toles’s property is affecting their daily lives. “We have grandkids, and we can’t even let them play in the yard.” He said that water in the tires breeds mosquitoes. He said, “Our grandchildren play outside and come in looking like they’ve got chicken pox, they’ve been bitten so much.” He added that he had offered to buy the land from Toles and wanted to close it off.
Learvinia Jackson asked, “Can the city take the property?
Holden noted that Toles has stockpiled tires on other properties too. He said the owner got cited in one case. Addressing the TDEC officials, he said, “We’re doing everything we can short of removing the tires. We’re kind of at a loss.”
Duane Jackson said that Toles had been adding tires at Bowen. Mullins noted that Toles has been showing receipts. Jackson said that Toles comes with a U-Haul, takes away some tires but then brings in more. He said that he and wife Learvinia have called officers when they have seen this and made videos.
Mullins said that they have told local companies paying to have the tires taken to “be careful who you give the tires to.” Mullins added that when Toles has come to court over the issue, he brings in photos of the tires being taken away from Bowen Lane and other properties to be disposed of properly.
Jackson said, “We just want to have a clean place.” He remarked that he and neighbors such as Alfred Taylor have cleaned out rows in areas off the property. In turn, Taylor confirmed Jackson’s claims and attested to the increase in mosquito problems. He demonstrated by showing the assembly mosquito traps: “These are from just inside my home,” he said.
Taylor said, “If I had tires laying around for 2-3 years, the city wouldn’t take that long with me.” Holden replied, “That’s because you would work with us [to dispose of the tires].”
Sipes told those assembled that one decomposing tire puts gallons of oil into the ground.
“So,” Holden said, “We’re asking for help...money.”
Hooper said that he would take all the information to Nashville for discussions with colleagues. He said that all of them here and there will have to come up with a “creative solution.” For example, he suggested, the city could get community volunteers to do the cleanup.
The problem, it was noted, is that whoever received them would charge for dumping them. Holden said if the city took bids, “I can tell you, they’d come back at $15,000-$21,000.”
Burks noted that the city would still need Toles’s permission to go onto the property to get the tires. Mullins noted that Toles has already been fined with no effect.
Holden said that City Court Judge Dean Dedmon had already given an order to remove them.
Taylor remarked, “There are so many tires that if they caught on fire, we’ve have to evacuate the neighborhood.”
Crawford asked, “Do we have access to a judge?” Hooper answered that even with a judge, “What could we do?”
Mullins said, “Our judge and our attorneys are doing all they can.” Holden remarked that they had thoroughly researched the issue for the city.
Collins said, “We’ve got the potential for a fire hazard, a pollution hazard, and a health hazard.”
Summing up, Holden reiterated, “So if there’s money, we don’t want to burden our taxpayers a third time.” He informed the Jacksons and Taylor that the city is spraying the area for mosquitoes.
Hooper assured the group that he would take information back to Nashville and address the issue “quickly.”