FOCC Supports Friends of the Columbia Gorge Against 356th Public Road Dedication Request by Zimmerly Mining
(Photo from Friends of the Columbia Gorge)
For a brief background on this issue, read the Columbian’s coverage here.
Read Friends of the Columbia Gorge’s history of Zimmerly’s egregious and illegal behavior here.
Continue reading to review Friends of Clark County’s public comment submitted for the 356th Avenue road dedication decision:
Friends of Clark County, an organization that represents thousands of Clark County residents, stands with Friends of the Columbia Gorge in their fight to retain a rural, residential road that is privately owned by multiple property owners. Redesignating SE 356th Avenue as a public road would effectively create a mining haul road benefiting only the Zimmerly mining operation and its company (ZP#5 LLC), which is not in the public interest.
- This mine has historically operated illegally and caused extensive environmental damage.Allowing mining in the our part of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, would have devastating impacts on endangered salmon species and create excessive noise, traffic, and dust that threatens the health and safety of nearby residents. Furthermore, this company’s history shows it has no intention of mitigating impacts or protecting the surrounding community, as demonstrated to you by residents at the July 16, 2024 hearing, including:
- Testimony about company drivers regularly discarding trash onto this private road, including beer cans—clear evidence of drunk drivers operating these heavy, dangerous vehicles;
- Testimony about a company truck causing a serious accident in an area that school children and heavy school traffic would have been occupying mere minutes later;
- Testimony of children with asthma suffering from the heavy dust created by the company trucks;.
- Testimony about deception and intimidation of residents from Zimmerly operatives.
- Staff’s report of July 16, 2024, notes that the road is privately owned and at least 10 parcels in the report available HERE would “require consent” to the establishment of a public road. This would require the county to exercise eminent domain against private residents, against the public interest, and on behalf of a mining company that should not be rewarded for its egregious behavior.
- Most appalling is the fact that a County-takeover of this existing rural, residential road—, one which is used for walkers, bicyclists and vehicles owned by residents, would cost Clark County in dollars it doesn’t have, meaning the tab would fall into the laps of taxpayers and, AGAIN, solely for the benefit of a large, wealthy mining company who continues to dig and build illegally. The staff report from July 16, 2024, includes 12 pages of the County engineer’s recommendation to deny the original request made by Zimmerly. In fact, the staff report points out that this request falls outside standard practice (layman’s terms), as follows:
- “Standard practice for conversion of a road from private to public would require at a minimum,land use and SEPA review, legal establishment of the ROW boundaries, examination of existing easements and establishment of any needed easements. This typically requires review of the following land use and related code sections to ensure compliance:
- • 40.350 (Transportation and Circulation)
- • 40.386 (Stormwater and Erosion Control)
- • 40.410 (Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas)
- • 40.420 (Flood Hazard Areas)
- • 40.430 (Geologic Hazard Areas)
- • 40.440 (Habitat Conservation)
- • 40.450 (Wetland Protection)
- • 40.460 (Shoreline)
- • 14.07 (Grading, Excavation, Fill and Stockpile)
- • 15.12 (Fire Code)
- Other transportation related items typically reviewed for ROW dedication and this type of road
- conversion include:
- • Transportation concurrency issues
- • Traffic impact studies
- • Off-site safety issues”
Friends of Clark County and Friends of Columbia Gorge urge the Clark County Council to deny the conversion of this privately-owned, rural road to a publicly- owned mining haul road. Not only is there no value to the public in such a conversion with the cost to taxpayers, but the evidence shows that this conversion would actively harm the public, threatening our environment and the health, safety, and well-being of the residents in the surrounding area. Furthermore, such a clear decision made in the sole interest of this mining company that would result in eminent domain in the face of such public opposition undermines public trust in government. The Clark County Council got it right on July 16th, and we implore the Council to vote against this road conversion again.