Junk Cars Rev Up Tempers

A scrap yard on Old Quogue Road in Riverside recently caused some civic leaders to see red.

According to Brad Bender, president of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Civic Association, "there has been quite a bit of action" at Riverside Recycling, located at 182 Old Quogue Road in Riverside.

Bender alleged that operations at the site "had spilled over into the neighborhood, with junk cars lining the sides of the roadway and the adjacent public property."

In addition, loading of scrap, Bender alleged, was being done in the road on public property, "putting undue stress on the roadway in that vicinity. Although this is a residential neighborhood, they operate as pre-existing and non-conforming," he said.

Bender said Southampton Town Fire Chief Marshal Cheryl Kraft was "quick to respond," citing the offense and performing regular inspections to ensure compliance and public safety since.

Kraft said Southampton Town Fire Marshal John Rankin issued an appearance ticket to Riverside Recycling, which is owned by Cherokee Realty, for violation of a section of the town code that regulates junk yards for storage outside of fenced areas of the junk yard.

The company, Kraft said, had been issued citations to appear in court on previous charges; the most recent charges were added to existing charges in court, she said.

Since the citations were issued, Kraft said several re-inspections have been performed and no violations were observed. "No vehicles were observed outside the area at the tme we did the inspections," she said.

When asked about the violations, Scott, the owner of Riverside Recycling, who declined to give his last name, said, "It's all cleaned up."

The problem, he said, was caused by a machine that was down at the site.

"It's never a dull day in the northwest corner of Southampton," Bender said.

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone every day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.