Neighbors tell Cowlitz County commissioners chronic debris on private Walker Road poses safety and fire risk

Homeowners from a cluster off Walker Road told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners that a private property owner has piled pallets, vehicles and household debris along a narrow, private road in a way they say creates a traffic and fire hazard and impedes passage for emergency and service vehicles.

"We have this ongoing problem. Three years now... there's over 64 houses. All of us have to drive past this because all the streets are dead end," homeowner Brad Dutes told the board during the public‑comment period. Dutes said the material is stacked "within inches of the roadway," extends roughly 700 feet and includes cars, a camper, a boat and an antique tractor. He said residents have raised the issue with multiple agencies — the county sheriff, environmental health, building and planning and nuisance abatement — and appealed to state officials.

Dutes said a neighbor, identified in court filings as bringing the case to Superior Court, had a judge order removal of the debris on Aug. 27; he reported a default judgment entered against the landowner on Sept. 24. "The judge told [the landowner] that he has 30 days to move all this stuff... and now here it is beyond 35, 36 days. It's worse," Dutes said, and he urged county officials to press for enforcement because of the risk of fire and impaired emergency access.

County staff told the board they had reviewed the court filings that morning and described the action as a private‑property dispute tied to alleged encroachment on an easement that provides access to the road. The staff member said the complaint was filed as a civil real‑property dispute and that the court had entered a default when the landowner did not answer the complaint. The county indicated environmental health had issued fines and that the sheriff's office and environmental staff continue to monitor the situation.

Mary Canale of Environmental Health (named in the public exchange) was cited in comments as having issued fines; county staff confirmed environmental health continues to follow up. The board noted the private‑road status limits the county’s authority, but county staff said they were continuing to communicate with the sheriff and court system and that the case appears to be progressing through civil court steps toward a final judgment.

Dutes asked the county to accept emailed photos and additional neighborhood documentation; the chair directed staff to provide a county contact for the photographs and follow‑up. Dutes said he and other neighbors will return to future meetings if progress stalls.

No formal motions or enforcement actions were taken by the board during the meeting; the matter was recorded in public comment and county staff described ongoing monitoring and the civil court process.