County Workers Clean Up Private Junkyard As Owner Protests, Employees Haul Away Old Tires, Cars, Scrap Metal

With sheriff’s deputies on hand to keep the peace, county employees began removing junk from Alden Arveson’s Garwood property Thursday.

The man’s run-down cars, scrap metal and broken-down trailers met their fate in a large steel crushing machine.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., county planning and solid waste employees worked at the site, hauling truckloads of old tires away and loading scrap metal into the crushers’ jaws.

Nervous about Arveson’s alleged threats to “shoot to kill” anybody who came onto his property, officers from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department escorted the workers throughout the day, said neighbors, who have been warned to be cautious of Arveson.

The crunch of groaning metal on East Garwood Road signaled the climax of a decade-long battle between the county and a stubborn rural junk collector who claims the county is unnecessarily infringing on his personal property rights. Arveson has been threatened with jail and fines and has been issued three court orders over the years as the county has tried to respond to a growing number of complaints about the illegal junkyard.

Though Thursday’s action is unusual, it was the only alternative left, planning director Cheri Howell said.

“Mr. Arveson chose not to follow the regulations and he chose not to follow Judge Judd’s order,” Howell said, referring to a June court order by Judge James Judd requiring the property be cleaned up.

Arveson arrived home Thursday to find three planners, an attorney, five solid waste workers and two steel crusher operators plus several sheriff’s deputies on his property.

“He certainly was very vocal and angry,” Howell said.

Arveson could not be reached for comment, but senior planner Rand Wichman said Arveson’s biggest complaint was that some of his property still had value.

“We acknowledge that. There is some stuff out there that is worth money,” Wichman said. “But by our ordinance it is still considered junk and he had plenty of time to remove it and hasn’t.”

One neighbor who complained about the unsightly acreage for more than a year, eventually sold his home, Howell said.

Other neighbors heard the ruckus Thursday and were warned to keep a safe distance from the site.

“I’m praying that they come back tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow until this thing gets finished,” neighbor Lorraine Nichols said. “We’re thankful that we are finally getting somewhere. The men are working hard.”

, DataTimes