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► METRO/REGIONAL Thursday,August 13, 1998 es Owner of burning tire pit had an' )ther shut by Shasta in '85. By Jim Miller cials said then that Royster wasn't sioners let Royster keep his per- Modesto Bee living up to a 1983 county use per- mit—with new conditions closely mit. Royster hadn't built access mirroring those of Shasta County. TRACY — Shasta County did roads through and around his tire The new permit also called for an- what San Joaquin County pile, planning staff said then and nual reviews. couldn't — shut down a large tire he was storing tires for longer San Joaquin County planning pit run by Silas F.Royster. than the 12 months specified in commissipners never discussed Royster owns the sprawling tire his company's permit. Royster's permit again. pit south of Tracy that caught fire Royster claimed that a business Officials fighting the fire at S.F. Friday afternoon and continues to associate had mistakenly agreed Royster Tire Disposal near Tracy send smoke across the Valley. to the county's conditions. "Any- said the tire pit did not have Ac- Until several years ago,Royster thing that's of a reasonable na- cess roads or firefighting equip- also operated a 22-acre tire pit ture, I'll be more than happy to ment—two requirements included near the town of Anderson, south meet,but there's no way I'm going in the 1987 permit. of Redding. to come up and start hauling By 1994, it was too late for the Despite his threats of lawsuits, those tires off to some other loca- county to do anything. Royster Shasta County supervisors re- tion,"Royster said in 1985. sued the state, which was trying voked Royster's use permit in "It's not the purpose of this to enforce waste rules adopted in April 1985 after neighbors com- county to become a graveyard for 1989, and effectively derailed any plained the tire pile was an eye- junk tires," said Shasta County efforts to shut him down until the sore, a fire hazard and a breeding Supervisor Pete Peters. suit was resolved. He lost his suit ground for rats, mosquitoes and Russ Mull of the Shasta County in 1995 and lost his last appeal;in flies. Environmental Health Depart- July 1997. Royster, who was living in Tra- ment says the Shasta County Dis- Royster, 66, and his attorney cy at the time, told supervisors trict Attorney's Office ultimately have been unavailable for com- the pile needed to stay at the An- had to take Royster to court to get ment since the Tracy fire started. derson site until he could find a him to clear away some 500,000 On Tuesday,Royster's daughter market for shredded tires. tires stored at Anderson. defended her father and his han- "The idea of canceling the use "I remember Royster well,"Mull dling of the Tracy tire facility.She permit and then trying to force me said. "The county spent a good didn't want her name used. to get rid of(the tires) isn't going deal of time in litigation with "My dad is a good guy,"she s4id, to work,"he said in April 1985,ac- him." speaking through the barely cording to press accounts. "We're Royster also received his San cracked front door of the Manteca going to be tied up for two or three Joaquin County permit in 1983. home where Royster is staying. years in a fight I don't think the By January 1987, some of his "He was doing everything he was county wants and I know I don't neighbors were complaining. supposed to do." want." After a hearing on the issue, Bee columnist Peter H.King con- Shasta County planning offi- San Joaquin planning commis- tributed to this story.