More than 10 years after its owner went belly up, the long dormant tire dump in Nobleboro remains unclaimed. Next week, the town’s Board of Selectmen will conduct their annual ritual to waive foreclosure on the parcel of land once owned by bankrupt company Pine State Recycling at the beginning of the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Sept. 16.
Past taxes owed have kept the lien the town has on the property in effect, but, according to selectmen chair Dick Spear, the town doesn’t want to take ownership of the property.
Located on the Upper East Pond Rd., the property was once used as a tire dump and processor. The Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection cleaned up the site in April 1998, removing 1.4-1.7 million scrap tires and using a previously reported $1.4 million in state funding.
Spear said it is the state’s responsibility to make sure the land isn’t polluted. According to DEP project manager Mike Parker, the land is not polluted. There might still be some tires left on the property, but they are not hazardous to the environment, he said.
Having completed their remediation several years ago, Parker said the department doesn’t plan on doing anything further with the property. He said the decision is up to the town.