Salvage yard to be in operation next spring near old Rep Valley

McCOOK, Neb. -- "4M Pick and Pull Parts and Salvage" will be up and running next spring.

Terry Sides, owner of the new wrecker and automobile salvage business northwest of the former Republican Valley school on Highway 6&34 between McCook and Indianola, told Red Willow County commissioners at their weekly meeting Monday morning that he's still working on the eight-foot solid fence on the west side of the 10-acre property. Fencing on the three other sides contains the (weed-eating) goats and keeps trespassers and thieves out, he said.

Sides has dug a new well and installed a new septic tank, and a new building will go up in the spring.

Sides showed commissioners and zoning administrator Darcy Eckhardt the 2014 permit he has obtained from state agencies to operate the car parts/wrecker service. Renewal of the license, for 2015, is due by the end of the month, Sides said.

Sides said he is still looking for a scale and is building up his car count. "To be successful, I need 800 to 900 cars," he said. "We don't have enough cars yet."

One of the biggest obstacles that Sides has encountered -- and hasn't conquered yet -- is the lack of internet service in the area. "I can't get internet, and I need internet," Sides said.

Sides is looking at an April 2015 opening.

It will be a pick-and-pull operation, Sides explained. He will pull an auto part for a customer, or, he said, "You pull it, it's cheaper."

Sides is adamant about taking care of fuels and fluids properly. "It's contained," he told Dorwin Felker, a neighbor of the salvage yard on the southwest. "It's all sellable. It's reusable. It's valuable." Sides said "fines are huge" for improper handling of fuels and fluids.

"I'm doing it right. Anyone can come and see," Sides said.

In related action, commissioners approved a resolution to made a modification in the county's zoning regulations to include non-ag-related storage buildings and storage units as a conditional use requiring an application, public hearing and permit.