The Hunter Town Board fully renewed Haines Falls Auto Service and Sales Inc.’s junkyard and scrap facility licenses on Aug. 11 after the owner met a series of conditions imposed in June. 

The board had granted owner Rory France conditional renewals in June after neighbors complained that the business had become an eyesore and was not complying with town rules. 

The business operates as Northeast Recycling as a scrap metal-processing facility, salvage yard, and junkyard, in addition to providing mechanical and repair services.

Code Enforcement Officer Rose Santiago said at the board’s Tuesday, Aug. 11, workshop that France had met the conditions set in June. 

“He pretty much did everything right after our first inspection,” Santiago said. “He passed, he did his conditions.”

At a June public hearing, residents said scrap metal and junk cars were piled above the property’s fencing, affecting views along the Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway and Sunset Park Road. Some also said the property’s gate had been left open.

The board then instructed France to remove all junk vehicles and scrap from outside the fenced portion of the property and repair fencing behind the scrap facility. 

The board also directed France to keep gates closed during off-hours, remove debris from the inside perimeter of the fence, and replace a smoke detector that had been removed because of painting. 

France said in June that he was already addressing the board’s concerns, including repairing the fence. He said some gates had remained open for a month or more after a windstorm, but had been repaired before Santiago first inspected the property.

All of the conditions were met before a July 24 inspection, Santiago said. She said she was confident the property would not have any issues going forward. 

“He works with us and I’m confident he will continue to work with us,” she said. 

Going forward, the property will be inspected 90 days before the licenses need to be renewed, Town Councilperson David Kukle said.

“There’s an inspection 90 days before the expiration to allow for any remediation that needs to occur if something is out of compliance,” he said. 

France was unavailable for comment. 

Connor Greco is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Windham, Hunter, and surrounding Greene County communities. Send correspondence to connor@theoverlooknews.com.