Community leaders have led a clean-up to remove hundreds of tires weighing six tons that were abandoned on a lot owned by the Oyster Bay-East Norwich school district
An unknown person or people left the tires in the wooded area between Route 106 and 25A/Northern Boulevard, which borders the Muttontown Preserve. The community gathered with school and town officials on Saturday, March 22, to clean the site.
“They dumped over 500 tires in a property that the school owns,” said Oyster Bay-East Norwich Superintendent Francesco Ianni at a board of education meeting on Tuesday, March 25.
Although Ianni estimates 500 tires in the area, local resident Mitch Kramer said that it may have been more. He said he believed the total was between 500 and 800.
Kramer, who lives next door to the site, said one of his neighbors alerted him to about 100 tires in the area over a year ago. After he contacted the police about the issue, he assumed it was solved until he saw the accumulation more recently.
“Apparently, it had snowballed,” Kramer said.
Ianni expressed gratitude to local organizations, the police, and the Town of Oyster Bay for their responses to the school district’s discovery of the tires.
“What happened after that was truly extraordinary,” Ianni said.
Ianni said that school officials cleared the area in a few hours with help from the town, local police, and residents.
“This experience really highlighted the incredible bond between our schools and our community,” he said.
Ianni called the school’s “strong partnership” with the town “remarkable.” He said the district will continue to work with town officials to take preventative measures, including installing cameras and signage in the area.
“We are going to continue to do whatever it takes to make sure [the site] stays immaculate, as it should be,” he said.
He also singled out Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saldino.
“I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest thanks to Supervisor Saladino,” Ianni said. He said the town extracted three large containers, totaling six tons, of tires from the site.
Saladino said the tires posed an environmental concern to the area.
“The town is proud to partner with local organizations to remove abandoned tires and restore our environment,” Saladino said. “By working together, we’re not only cleaning up our community but also protecting our natural resources for future generations.”
Daniella Crocciola, a member of the Concerned Citizens of East Norwich, Muttontown, Oyster Bay and Oyster Bay Cove, said the tires may be connected to an auto body shop formerly located at 6261 Northern Blvd.
The auto repair shop has not been operating in the past year, when some residents have reported the tires’ appearance. The building was demolished in 2021.
Kramer said it was likely a commercial company that left the tires.
“The whole community came together once word got out,” Kramer said.
