E-1 Towing gets OK for wrecking facility

E-1 Towing has been given the go-ahead for its motor vehicle wrecking facility located just east of Havre.

Hill County Commissioners Mike Wendland, Jeff LaVoi and Mark Peterson unanimously passed the resolution last Monday.

Clay Vincent, the county's junk vehicle administrator, said that commissioners approved the licensing, but that the zoning conditions set forth by the zoning board must be met.

Vincent also said that Erickson wants to expand his facility.

"He wants to go ahead and start getting into the business of selling parts and pieces," he said.

With this approval, E-1 Towing is to follow a long list of requirements which include limiting the size of the facility to four acres or less, having the fluids removed from cars on the property in order to prevent environmental contamination and having all vehicles and vehicle parts shielded from the roadways.

"All of these conditions were listed in the Hill County Zoning Board's letter to the Ericksons (the family that owns the facility), so we've included those conditions in our resolution," Wendland said.

Now that Hill County approved the facility to move forward, the state will visit the wrecking facility at an undisclosed time to check and see if E-1 Towing has met all of the requirements. The state will have the final say.

Kenneth Erickson, president of E-1 Towing, said he is pleased with the outcome.

"(I'm) happy that they've finally made a decision," he said.

Erickson also said this proposal concerned moving the facility and that he is aware some people are opposed to this move because they believe it will be an eyesore.

"I can tell you to go drive and see if you can find it, it's been there for six, seven, eight years and you're not even going find it," he said.

Not everyone in town agrees with this next step.

Cody Boe, a Havre truck driver and neighbor of the wrecking facility, said this business is illegal.

"They have $200,000 worth of cars that they obtained ... without being a licensed salvage yard," he said.

Boe also said the vehicles are not registered properly.

"If they say (the vehicles) personal, then they can't sell them for salvage (damaged)," he said. "What are they going to do with 200-400 cars now? Turn them over and say now they're salvage? They acquired them as personal."