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The tire amnesty event held April 1 to 3 in Newport was successful. Better news: There is still room for tires.

Kim Burge, director for RC&D, reports, "There is a lot of room for more tires. Our goal was to collect 600 ton. At this time, we are just over 200 ton. Given this information, the Upper Elkhorn Natural Resources District and the NC RC&D, along with the support of the Village of Newport and Rock County, are extending the collection time."

New guidelines: Tires can be dropped off at the village/county yard, north of Newport on Hwy 137. Weigh-ins will take place at Rock County Agronomy in Bassett or Stuart Fertilizer in Stuart. Once a net weight is received, contact Kim at 402-376-5842, with name, residence location and net weight.

Individuals who bring a small amount of tires may send a count, sorted by number of car, pickup, semi, front or back tractor tire or irrigation tires to Kim. Tires outside of this range may be added to the count that is about the same size.

The grant is based on weight so the more accurate, the better.

Burge added, "Free will donations are still appreciated to cover the portion of the event not covered by the grant."

"The tire amnesty is a great event to host," commented Burge. "This one is even more enjoyable. Instead of having to turn people away because we reached the limit quickly, we can instead invite people to keep bringing them. We will be accepting tires through Friday, April 12. So if weather or calving or Easter vacation delayed your efforts to bring tires in, you have a second chance. We will stop collecting on Friday, so please do not bring any tires after that. We do not want to wear out our welcome with the Village of Newport or with Rock County."

The Tire Amnesty is an event made possible through a grant from the Nebraska Deptartment of Energy and Environment.