Clallam County commissioners forgave a $43,500 lien against an East End property Monday but eliminated a health-hazardous eyesore in the bargain.
The lot at 212 Lewis Road, once strewn with junk cars, abandoned boats and long-failed appliances, has been cleaned up to Community Development Director Rob Robertsen’s satisfaction.
Its new owner, Mark Thomas, spent $44,812 to clear the property of trash — which might mean he lost $1,312 on the deal.
But given that he Thomas bought the property at a foreclosure sale, encumbered by the lien, he’s well ahead of the game, Robertsen said.
The land once was jammed with junk of every description — and some that defied describing.
It was impossible to explain, for instance, why one rusting automobile was crammed with computer monitors and printers.
Or why a pickup bed with no cab attached held thousands of spent shotgun shells.
Or why anyone had collected scores of balding tires.
$50 daily fines
The county’s lien against the property consisted of 870 days of $50-a-day fines owed by its previous owner, Sheila Stark.
Robertsen, however, was less avid to get the money than he was eager to see the lot cleaned up.
Robertsen, who will retire as Department of Community Development director at the end of this year, wants to use the same technique to encourage others to eliminate private junkyards.
Working with Selinda Barkhuis, senior planner, he is hammering out a code-compliance and junk vehicle ordinance that would give them the same sort of break that Thomas received.
Still in draft form, it would release parts of liens according to how well and when new owners cleaned up their properties.
In the process, however, the buyers would admit they owned a nuisance and would undertake responsibility for eliminating it.
BuiltGreen program
In other action Monday, county commissioners gave preliminary approval to accepting $12,750 from the state Department of Ecology, most of which will support the BuiltGreen program of the North Peninsula Building Association.
The association last month celebrated the release of two BuiltGreen checklists — one for individual homes, a second for developments — by which builders can earn points for using sustainable materials and environmentally friendly construction techniques.
The Ecology grant will pay for continuing education for contractors and home buyers about the program
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Reporter Jim Casey can be reached at 360-417-3538 or at jim.casey@peninsuladailynews.com.
