A bunch of decaying tires in a wooded area in Langley were finally removed this week after boisterous complaints from a resident and a threat of legal action.

Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy said the city’s public works department planned to retrieve and dispose of the tires before the June 15 city council meeting.

“Our intent is to get all of them out of there,” McCarthy said.

Public Works Director Stan Berryman called The Record to update the public that, by Friday morning, an estimated 80 tires were taken away.

“The tires are gone,” he said.

“Some of those looked like they went back 50 years, at least,” he added.

The city took the tires to Les Schwab in Clinton, which accepted them free of charge.

A large area of blackberry bushes and vegetation had grown over the old tires, with plenty of moss grown on and in the tires as well. Once the overgrowth was cleared, the tires were collected and taken out of town.

“There was a lot of vegetation, we had to take our roadside mower and clean it out,” Berryman said.

John Norby, the man who had originally pleaded with the city to get them more than 18 months ago, passionately told the mayor to take care of the matter at the city council’s June 1 meeting or else he would seek legal action.

McCarthy was surprised by Norby’s confrontation, but said the city was alarmed that it was still an issue and was responsive to the problem.

“We want to be very careful about the health and safety of our citizens,” McCarthy said, adding that the city does not believe the tires affected Langley’s aquifer.

Berryman said a Washington Department of Health official told the city further soil tests were not necessary because regular water quality tests do not reveal any V.O.C. (volatile organic compounds) problems.