BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s an area the city and county hope will become a hub for visitors to Albuquerque, but surrounding areas have become an eyesore. Now, Bernalillo County is trying to clean up the mess. “It’s very disappointing because this is the land we’re going to leave our children, and you know, we’re just polluting it,” said Gabriel Villescas, Solid Waste Manager, Bernalillo County.
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Right behind the newly built Route 66 Visitor Center on the west side of Albuquerque, the land has become a dumping site for hundreds of semi-tires. “But it goes a substantial distance down the way here. I would say at least a thousand feet,” said Villescas.
Gabriel Villescas is the Solid Waste Manager for Bernalillo County, and said they discovered the problem about four months ago and have counted more than 650 tires. He said they each weigh about 110 pounds. “They’re a lot larger, they have a lot more rubber in them, a lot more steel, they’re a little bit more problematic to get rid of,” said Villescas. “Because of the location, the low lighting, the no surveillance, people have been dumping obviously here for quite a while.”…