HANOVER, Va. — Some area disc golf fans say one of their favorite spots to enjoy their hobby is being overshadowed by bugs. They believe piles of old tires stored on an unrelated property nearby are attracting a lot of mosquitoes.
Now they want Hanover County officials to do something about it. Daniel Jenkins and his friends love to flock to the Village Disc Golf Course off of Route 1 to get in some playing time.
Jenkins says he is annoyed by the piles of tires just yards away from one of the tee pads.
The tires are on an unrelated property next door and Jenkins says he doesn’t want it to overshadow the disc golf course that he considers a hidden gem.
“Last year the big issue on the East Coast was Zika virus and I just think it wouldn’t be good to have a spot with millions of mosquitoes,” Jenkins said. “I think it’s a hazard, not only because of the diseases a mosquito can carry but it’s a fire hazard as well.”
“If a fire happens, there’s very little you can do. Tires burn for a long time and they leave a big mess when they do” Jenkins added.
A few times a month Jenkins says he and his buddies meet up to play on the course. It’s a place he says that’s growing in popularity.
Jenkins said the mounds of tires that can be seen from the tee pad number 4 are unsightly.
“People drive from all over the region, some two hours or more and they get eaten alive by mosquitoes and then have to look at the tire piles. You pick up your bag and it’s covered in mosquitoes, so it’s bad,” Jenkins explained.
He says months ago he tried to contact Hanover County to see how the issue could be addressed.
Jenkins wondered if it was random illegal dumping, or if perhaps the land owner had a special permit to store a certain number of tires.
Not knowing the answer, Jenkins contacted Problem Solvers. We reached out to the Hanover Planning department. A spokesperson there told us they didn’t have any formal complaint on record.
Hanover officials told CBS 6 News they intend on sending an inspector to the site in the coming days to investigate and handle it accordingly. They also emphasized that dumping tires is not permitted in any area of the county unless it is a designated county waste facility or a legal landfill.
Once the county moves forward on this matter, the property owner will get 30 days to dispose of the tires or appeal and request another reasonable time frame to clean it all up.
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