Hazel Dell - Machine shop surplus in the street!

[the Wumpus]

NE 117th Street, between Highway 99 and Klineline Avenue:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=commercial+repair+%26+machine+works&sll=45.705902,-122.65041&sspn=0.000972,0.002055&ie=UTF8&ll=45.705893,-122.650396&spn=0.000972,0.002055&t=h&z=19

See those mounds of rusty steel and garbage? [edit], wholly owned by [edit], has been using the 117th street bike lane for temporary storage of inventory, as a material handling lane, forklift parking, and so forth. This was only occasionally an issue up until about a month ago. Now it's up to three or four days a week I'm dodging their excess inventory on my afternoon commute. And it's even overflowed into the car traffic lane a few times. But most importantly, keep an eye open for forklifts: Sometimes they just back right out into the road without any warning, and 117th is a busy arterial. Klineline Avenue is a different story: It's being used as permanent storage for inventory and scrap. Old rusty steel, broken pallets, shop garbage, and so forth. If it wasn't so bad, I'd use it as a detour around all the overflowing mess.

Speaking with employees has resulted in nothing but profanity. Calling [edit] has resulted in nothing but being hung up on. So I've contacted the Clark County Sheriff's department. If you have issues here, I would suggest doing the same. Right away, too, since they'll have to send a deputy by there to actually witness the junk parked out in the street. The non emergency Clark County Sheriff's number is: 360-397-2211 ...Which is only useful from sometime after 9 AM to before 5 PM weekdays; don't feel bad about using 911 outside of business hours. I've been told by several police and code compliance officers that Clark County's 911 service is much better staffed than Portland's and can handle even the annoyance calls on a regular basis.

(11/17/08 note: thanks, Clark County Sheriff's department! Awesome!)

[K'Tesh]

Document your encounters... take pictures! Got a Cellphone with a camera? Got a digital camera? Video? Even better! It's not hard to do.

It'll be hard for them to deny that they're blocking the bike lane when there's photos that show that they are!

Say Cheese!
K'Tesh

[jr98664]

I would have to agree with you about the 911 calls. Vancouver and Clark County have been much more helpful in all situations than the people in Portland. One time I called to report a car completely blocking the sidewalk in Portland, and the man on the phone asked "is it blocking the traffic lane?" When I told him no, he gave me the non-emergency number and hung up. I guess it's not an emergency unless you're on in a motor vehicle—nevermind the kind folk on foot, or those for whom such a blockage could actually pose an unavoidable danger—the disabled.

If I really were keeping people in burning houses from getting help, the kind dispatchers up north would simply put me on hold until they could transfer me, or else just take down the information.

[the Wumpus]

Haven't heard any reply from the sheriff's office yet. I was starting to think I'd have to give them a call and be a pest.

Then today after work, this shop had actually gone further than I had ever seen them before! They appeared to have been using 117th street as a loading dock. Had a truck parked in the road, had the biggest forklift they own (it's a biggie, like a very tall full size pickup) out there lined up for loading or unloading, and loaded pallets lining the street. But they had stopped moving things... Because a deputy was busy lecturing them. Guess I don't need to call!

[the Wumpus]

Today they seem to have rearranged all the old junk so that all the nicest junk is lining the street side of things and hiding the ugly, rusty junk which has been moved further in. And it's all back from the street a few feet; you could actually walk there without walking in the street if you wanted to! There was a truck heaped with broken pallets and garbage they've been storing in the parking lot for years, looks like it's getting hauled off. I don't know what that deputy said, but it worked. Sheesh, that was easy.

This seems like an appropriate point to remove identifying info from the thread so it doesn't pop up in a Google search. If we need to know who it is, follow the map link. But a customer who won't be affected by this in the least won't be turning up bad news that's already dealt with; it's only fair, imo.