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Marine Corps League seeks lease arrangement for memorial site on county-owned Superfund repository
Summary
The Marine Corps League and the Klamath Marine Corps Heritage Corporation discussed leasing a county-owned repository property that contains a memorial to avoid ongoing water and maintenance costs, while Oregon DEQ and EPA retain cleanup and repair responsibilities.
Representatives of the Marine Corps League told the Klamath County Board of Commissioners on April 8 they want a county lease arrangement for a memorial at the former Marine Corps barracks site to avoid ongoing maintenance and water bills.
Spencer Martin, of the Marine Corps League and the Klamath Marine Corps Heritage Corporation, said the site contains a memorial for the barracks and that Klamath County holds title to the repository parcels because the EPA Superfund cleanup required public ownership for repository properties. Martin said the county’s role was intended to carry no present or future cost responsibility for cleanup or repairs; Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and EPA cover maintenance and contractor repairs tied to the Superfund site.
Martin said the group historically maintained an earlier memorial site but was moved to the current repository parcel as part of the Superfund remediation. The Marine Corps League said it cannot shoulder recurring water bills and grounds costs (estimated during discussion at about $400 per month during peak watering season, roughly five to six months, or “a couple thousand dollars a year”).
County counsel Marcus Henderson said DEQ had discussed partitioning about an acre to convey to the Marine Corps League, but he cautioned that partitioning could relieve the state of perpetual maintenance obligations under the cleanup arrangement. Commissioners and staff explored leasing the parcel to the League (for example, a long-term nominal lease) while the county retains ownership to preserve DEQ’s maintenance responsibility.
The board directed staff to research lease options and other funding avenues (including asking the county veterans’ office about adoption or assistance) and to return to the board in about three weeks with options. Participants agreed that a lease—rather than sale—would allow the group to install static displays and assume some maintenance without removing state/deq obligations for the contaminated repository portion.
