An Ashland salvage yard owner has 45 days to clean up a public health risk at his business or potentially lose the property to the city.

On Monday, Saunders County District Judge Mary Gilbride ordered Arlo Remmen to file a report within 45 days demonstrating how he has removed junk from Ashland Salvage. The report also must state how he intends to follow Ashland’s public nuisance codes in the future.

If Remmen fails to do so, the city can clean up the property and sell any personal belongings it finds to cover expenses. If the cost of the cleanup exceeds the value of the belongings, the city may opt to take the land itself, said Ashland City Attorney Mark Fahleson.

“We’re not trying to take the property at this point, we just want him to clean up,” Fahleson said.

Lincoln attorney Terry Barber, who represents Remmen, said Monday they had not seen the order setting the 45-day deadline.

“Until all the paper work is in front of us, it’s a little bit difficult to decide what to do,” Barber said.

But after years of fighting the city and the state of Nebraska, it appears Remmen is nearly out of options.

On Dec. 4, the judge ruled that Remmen violated city and state law because he stored couches, construction debris, old computers and other trash that cannot be disposed of in a salvage yard. Remmen has no permits to operate a landfill.

In addition, the judge also found that he illegally stockpiled thousands of scrap tires, which collect stagnant water and represent a public health risk from mosquito-borne illnesses.

The judge signed a permanent injunction, preventing Remmen from maintaining his property in its current condition.

The rulings are the culmination of a 2005 lawsuit filed jointly by the city of Ashland and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The lawsuit alleged hundreds of violations of environmental regulations since 2003, which would total about $25 million in fines.

The judge set a Feb. 5 hearing to  assess monetary penalties against Remmen.

The salvage yard borders U.S. 6 on the west side of Ashland. Because many people see the junk as they drive into town, some people refer to the city as “Trashland.”

The dispute between the city and Remmen surfaced in 2002 when junk from Ashland Salvage spilled over onto adjacent streets.

Hard feelings over the dispute prompted Remmen to run for mayor in November. He received 237 votes compared to incumbent Mayor Ronna Wiig’s 525 votes.

Remmen has missed past deadlines to comply with orders from city or state officials. Now the orders carry the weight of a judge’s signature.

“It’s the city’s sincere hope that Mr. Remmen brings the property into compliance by the deadline,” Fahleson said. “Hopefully, this will be the end of it.”