Koob, Richard - N'end Junkyard
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To Dubuque City Council
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This letter is in reference to the sudden rezoning attempt by Roger Kunde and Robert Klauer his attorney
.They have requested rezoning of the North End Junk yard. For many years it was in operation in the North
end and the size was getting larger all the time under the management of Fay Orken(whom has passed away
and the yard now belongs to Roger Kunde and Robert Klauer) and the city never kept tabs on whether
they were in compliance or not. Now Mr. Kunde and his backer Mr. Klauer are trying to do the same thing.
But what they have done is knock down numerous trees and vegetation and now everyone on Olympic
Hieghts can now see the junk yard .We are outraged here on Olympic heights that they are doing this. They
have ñiled in on this property and caused erosion of mud and rock down on Olympic Hieghts road. It now
looks like a land fill ]-om our side on Olympic Hieghts. The road ditch on the junk yard side has ahnost
completely filled in on some spots and the mud that came down after the last heavy rain was considerable.
Usually there is just water and a few rock washing down This time there was a large amount of mud along
with the rockMr. Kunde said he added tile and catch areas to hold the water but where is he running his
water to? What city engineer laid out the plan for water run off. From the North end property? I and the
n1'\Ïority of Olympic Heights residents would appreciate the council to disapprove the rezoning of the north
end property. A petition against the rezoning was signed by the majority of residents of Olympic Heights. A
copy of this petition was given to the rezoning board.
To recall the path of Roger Kunde and Robert Klauer as they had to leave the Cedar Cross property they
tried to rezone the property down by the waste treatment plant and after petitions and complaints and
citizens having to spend much of their own money to guard against this transaction it was turned down.
Now t.'>e<f are a1 it again tr,'Íng to expand a property t.'Jat Vias grand fathered it, be"..ause the county allowed
this yard to exist. The city annexed this property and now is the time to not let this junk yard to expand. We
here in the North End area would like to preserve this area for residential not heavy industrial like Kunde
and Klauer are proposing. We cannot understand how the city could even let this be considered after the
trouble that was caused by the rezoning attempt at the waste treatment plant. We here are now forced to
spend our hard earned money to defend something that should never even be considered.
If this is allowed consider what could happen to this property. They want heavy Indust..ial. This means
they can ahnost do anything with this property they want. If you don't know junk yards a good example of
one is down in Moline Illinois by the rock river where anyone who wants a part can go in and take the part
off themselves. The cars are set up on two rims on each corner of the cars and with your own tools can
remove the part you need and pay for it as you leave. This in the evening or late night hours requiem lighting
so you can find the cars you are going to remove the patts ]-om. I visualize huge lighting so this is possible
and then will annoy all the neighbor hood. Then with these trees and vegetation gone they will be more
visible along with the cars. Right now they say the people on the south side of the junk cannot see the yard
but they are wrong again. In the winter months right now the neighbor hoods on the south side can see the
yard too. If this yard is zoned heavy industrial these trees will also disappear aud then they will see and hear
the junk yard all year around. Just think if there was a junk yard allowed on the bluff over the fourth street
elevator look what we would have on our hands.
We here in the Olympic heights neighborhood believe the industrial part of this business should stay on
the lower part along west 32"" street where all the businesses are. We believe Dubuque would be best served
with a residential area on the top of the hill rather than ajunk yard. From up here we look down on Holy
Ghost church and a old North End residential area. It is pleasant to the eyes but with a junk yard all of this
would be lost. We could end up with another Dennis Shatkey stand off and this would be a sad thing.
Something else I would like to bring to all of your attention is the fact that junk yards are not inspected.
They can store anything they want to there. In our times today with terrisom going on wouldu't it be wise
for our city to inspect these junk yards to be sure they are not storing things that would be detrimental to our
health or lives. I have called the DNR and asked if they inspect junk yards and they do not. I believ~ ~
should do something now before something happens we all would be saddened by. ~~ ~
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