Halfway Metals proprietor guarantees fence
The proprietor of Halfway Metals mentioned throughout an look earlier than a Clallam County listening to examiner that the enterprise will construct a fence at the least 6 toes tall across the property and that she is going to present a surety bond to the county and buy a license from the county.
The scope of the Aug. 15 listening to was restricted to the county code that’s particularly associated to junk sellers. Listening to Examiner Andrew Reeves couldn’t make rulings in different areas of county code, state or federal legislation.
Katrina Haymaker, who owns Halfway Metals and the property at 258010 U.S. Freeway 101, mentioned she may handle the required county license final week and that she would have the bond this week.
She mentioned a fence may go up within the coming months and she or he would have had a fence up earlier had she been advised it solely wanted to be 6 toes tall. Haymaker mentioned county officers advised her she wanted a 10-foot-tall fence.
“Had it been six toes within the very starting, there may very well be a fence up,” she mentioned. “You don’t want engineering for a six-foot fence.”
Reeves advised Haymaker he doesn’t have the authority to make her put up fence that complies with all legal guidelines, simply with county code.
“All I can do is say below the Clallam County code, a six-foot fence,” he mentioned. “No less than below the Clallam County Code the one factor I’ve the authority to take care of is a six-foot fence.”
Code Enforcement Officer Diane Harvey advised Reeves that at present Halfway Metals doesn’t have a fence, gate, license or bond, opposite to county code.
“It doesn’t seem measures are being taken to restrict entry to the general public,” Harvey mentioned. “Aerial and onsite photographs exhibits the Halfway Steel property comprises strong waste together with, rubber tires, auto elements, wrecked automobiles, oil drums, unlabeled 55-gallon metallic canisters, propane canisters, fridges, mattresses, couches, garden mower elements, plastic containers, pc hardware, rags, water heaters, metallic wires and metallic roofing, to call just a few.”
The county notified Haymaker of the violations by mail and when she attended a Board of County Commissioners assembly Aug. 5.
The county is asking Haymaker to turn into compliant with these particular laws by Sept. 19.
Harvey mentioned the county is asking that Haymaker be fined $750 and that if she doesn’t comply by Sept. 19, fines ought to accrue with a cap of $7,000.
Reeves has not but rendered a choice, however advised that Haymaker would simply want to indicate that she is making progress on constructing a fence by Sept. 19.

Katrina Haymaker, proprietor of Halfway Metals, addresses the Clallam County Listening to Examiner throughout a listening to Thursday, Aug. 15. Photograph by Jesse Main/Peninsula Each day Information
“There are different issues with this property,” Reeves mentioned. “I do know from my evaluate of the file and recall from final time there are different issues and there are a number of different businesses concerned.
“I’m not addressing these issues, I’m simply coping with how can we get this property licensed and secured.”
Haymaker mentioned she had “by no means been notified” that she wanted a bond and license till she bought a letter within the mail just lately. She and the county have mentioned alleged violations of varied codes for a number of years.
Haymaker advised Reeves that she does have a state enterprise license for Halfway Metals.
On Aug. 6 the Peninsula Each day Information reported that whereas Haymaker owns Steel Funding Group in Port Orchard, the Division of Income didn’t present a license related to Halfway Metals or the property.
The subsequent day the Division of Income issued Halfway Metals as a commerce title for Steel Funding Group, which now lists 258010 U.S. Freeway 101 as an deal with. A automobiles transporter endorsement was additionally issued Aug. 12.
Data present Haymaker is three years behind on property taxes and officers have mentioned that it’s susceptible to foreclosures subsequent yr.
In accordance with the Secretary of State’s Workplace, Steel Funding Group had missed its April 30 deadline for submitting its annual report. An annual report was filed Aug. 6.
Along with the violations mentioned within the listening to, the county, state and federal officers are trying carefully at different laws, significantly these associated to contamination.
Testing in 2011 and 2012 confirmed that the soil has excessive ranges of oil-range hydrocarbons, cadmium, lead, mercury and carcinogenic polycyclic fragrant hydrocarbon, based on 2012 website investigation report carried out by GeoEngineers for Ecology.
These checks present groundwater was contaminated with excessive ranges of arsenic, chromium, lead and dissolved arsenic and floor water is contaminated with lead, dissolved lead and polychlorinated biphenyls, the report says.
County officers have introduced details about Halfway Metals to the state Division of Ecology, state Division of Licensing, state Lawyer Normal’s Workplace and the federal Environmental Safety Company.
Harvey advised county commissioners earlier this month that the Lawyer Normal’s Workplace had secured a felony conviction of a person who owned an analogous property in King County.
Clallam County commissioners count on to debate the Halfway Metals property once more someday in September.
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