community news
october19
2017
3
City and Developer Deadlocked on Nickerson Ridge
continued from front page
Schrader appeared before the
Vernonia City Council on three sepa-
rate occasions during the summer of
2015, which initiated an investigation by
the City of Vernonia into any available
documentation and if any improvements
were made.
Documentation concerning de-
velopment requirements that Schrader
presented to Council during his initial
presentation begins in 1998 and includes
the names of City Administrator Gor-
don Zimmerman, Public Works Direc-
tor Robyn Bassett, and Planning Clerk
Kathy Morrison. Tetra Tech was the
City Engineering firm at the time; sev-
eral memos and documents include the
name of Kevin France as the City En-
gineer. Several documents dated from
2000 are signed by City Planner Julie
Coontz. None of these people are cur-
rently employed by the City or the engi-
neering firm.
A memo from Engineer France
to Bassett and Zimmerman dated Sep-
tember 18, 1998 lists several comments
concerning water and sewer line instal-
lation requirements that may not have
happened. A memo from France dated
December 17, 1998 indicates that un-
derground utilities were not installed ac-
cording to approved plans.
A memo to Bassett from France
dated February 29, 2000 discloses that
Bassett and France had performed a
preliminary review of infrastructure
improvements and presented a list of
items that needed to be resolved before
the City would take responsibility for
future operation and maintenance of the
improvements. Included in the list is
an upgrade from a four inch water line
to a six inch line into the development,
improvements to the culvert crossing
Knickerson Creek, and the installation
of compacted fill beneath the westside
sidewalk.
The Vernonia Planning Com-
mission gave final approval for the sub-
division on April 20, 2000. City Planner
Coontz informed Smejkal of this in a let-
ter dated May 4, 2000, but indicates that
flows from fire hydrants did not meet the
required 1,000 gallons per minute and
therefore all homes in the subdivision
would require sprinkler systems.
There is no documentation on
file with the City or Columbia County
indicating that any of these requirements
or improvements were completed. The
eight homes that were built do not have
sprinkler systems.
about the City’s exposure to potential li-
A Final Plat map, giving final ap- ability. She recommended the City not
proval for the development, was signed place a moratorium on construction but
shortly after the Planning Commission’s rather only approve development that
approval. It was signed by City Plan- meets the required conditions of approv-
ner Coontz, Engineer France, new City al. Instead the City has declined to issue
Manager Michael Sykes, the Columbia any further building permits on any of
County Surveyor, the Columbia County the properties in the subdivision.
Assessor and all three
Columbia
County
Commissioners, as
well as James Sme-
jkal.
No construc-
tion occurred follow-
ing the final approval
until 2012.
Following
Schrader’s
allega-
tions the Vernonia
City Council instruct-
ed staff, including
then City Administra-
tor Gian Mammone,
to begin investigat-
ing what improve-
ments, if any, had
been done in the last
fifteen years since the
Terry Lindauer would like to see the City and the developers
subdivision had been
reach a compromise to fix the infrastructure.
approved and if de-
veloper Smejkal had
complied with all requirements imposed
According to City Administrator
in 1998-2000.
Mitchell all construction permits were
In his report to Council at the issued through Columbia County at the
July 6, 2015 City Council meeting, time the subdivision was originally ap-
Mammone reported that staff was unable proved; the City of Vernonia contracted
to locate any additional records, min- with Columbia County to provide build-
utes from meetings or any plans for the ing inspection services and Columbia
project, and Mammone suggested that County purges all records after 10 years.
the required improvements were never The engineering firm hired by Smejkal
done. He reported that after contact- also purged records after a set period of
ing staff at Oregon Department of State time. Mitchell said that she asked Sme-
Lands (DSL) he was informed that Sme- jkal in August of 2015 to provide docu-
jkal did not have permits for improve- mentation of final “As Builts” for the
ments he made to the land at the subdivi- development. “As Builts” are the latest
sion. DSL disclosed that there are two changes on blueprints that show how a
violations pending against Smejkal and construction project was actually built as
Nickerson Ridge Estates, one concern- opposed to as it was designed. Smejkal
ing wetlands violations in connection was unable to provide that documenta-
with the rerouting of Knickerson Creek tion.
and the second involving the installation
“One of the big problems is
of an undersized culvert.
that there is no verification of any of the
At the August 3, 2015 City things the developer did, or did not do,”
Council meeting Council was presented says Terry Lindauer.
with a memo from City Attorney Alex
Sosnkowski addressing whether the City Still waiting
should continue to approve construction
Terry and Gretchen Lindauer
in the development. Sosnkowski noted have regularly attended Vernonia City
concerns about storm water run-off and Council meetings for the last year or so.
fire hydrant flows and expressed concern Since the issue was originally brought
Publisher and Managing Editor
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forward in 2015, little progress has been
made on resolving the issue of who is
responsible for fixing the problems that
have been plaguing some residents in the
neighborhood. In August of 2016 it ap-
peared the City and the Smejkals had an
agreement for the developers to install
additional catch basins that would have
helped with the storm water run-off. But
the developers backed out of that deal
before it moved forward.
Meanwhile the Lindauers have
been unable to get their building per-
mit for their shop and are frustrated by
the lack of movement on both sides that
have stalled any progress towards a reso-
lution.
The Lindauers previously lived
on Highway 47 south of Vernonia for
almost 27 years on a 12 acre hobby
farm. They raised two children there
while Gretchen worked for the Vernonia
School District in the cafeteria and Terry
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