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City plans action on tent business

By Amy Train - | Mar 29, 2000

The city of Tonganoxie plans to take Big T Tent Rental to municipal court because owner Steve Trieb has not responded to a letter sent to him by the city last month.

The property is at the corner of County Road 5 and Laming Road.

On Monday afternoon, the city determined that nothing had been done to improve the conditions that are in violation of city ordinances.

According to planning commissioner Larry Shepek, Big T Tent Rental has become a physical distraction to some local and state officials. Shepek said he recently attended a Leadership 2000 meeting in Topeka. While there, Sen. Don Biggs asked what was happening at County Road 5 and Laming Road. Shepek said he didn’t know how to respond to Biggs’ question. Then, at the Leavenworth Area Development meeting last week, the same issue was addressed.

“I have to drive by the area every day,” Shepek said. “It looks like he has started a landfill. I am concerned. Where do we stand on this?”

City administrator Chris Eppley explained that the city sent Trieb a letter regarding the appearance of the property last month. The city has received no response from him.

Since the site has not been cleaned up, Eppley said, the city should take the matter to court.

“The challenge is to attempt to find some teeth to get rid of it,” Eppley said. “I’m sort of at wits’ end about this.”

Mike Crow, city attorney, said that Trieb could be charged for violating city ordinances.

Ray Usher, council member, has been pushing the city to get rid of junk cars and other unsightly objects. “Can’t we speed this time up?” Usher said. “We need to quit being Mr. Nice Guy. We have got to make people pick this stuff up.”

“I think that we have been more than fair with Mr. Trieb,” Pat Albert, council member, said.

Crow said that Eppley had the problem under control at this point.

“It looks like Chris has got it where it needs to be,” Crow said.

Attempts to contact Trieb for comment on Tuesday were unsuccessful.