Heritage Neighborhood Association

2005- July Meeting Minutes

July 27, 2005 Monthly Meeting

Donna Goddard with the Code Enforcement office spoke about what constitutes a code violation and who to report it to. You can call in a complaint at (360) 397-2375 or file a complaint electronically at http://www.clark.wa.gov/commdev/code-enforcement/complaints/complaintform.asp. The inspectors will come out in a couple days and let the tenant or owner know what the problem is, and give them 30 days to fix it. Examples of code violations are:
• GRASS - Tall grass over 12” in the front or side yard – visible from the street.
• JUNK CARS - Inoperable/junk vehicles on private property (not in the street) If they have significant damage, don’t operate, flat tires, or are missing a major component like the engine or transmission. If the car is on the street, call the Sheriff’s department. There is a provision for “project cars” that people are restoring. They have to fill out paperwork and make progress towards completion. No auto parts are allowed to be stored outside the house – including tires.
• JUNK - More than 1 cubic yard of junk visible from the street, or close enough to a neighbor’s house to be a potential fire hazard.
• PARKING - Parking on the grass is OK, as long as the car operates.
• RV’S - can only be on the street for 24 hours – call the Sheriff. If the RV is in the yard or driveway, you can’t live in for more than 30 consecutive days, or 60 days total in a calendar year.
• NOISE – Loud noise is allowed from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. this includes construction or music. Call the Sheriff and they will get a citation

Dave Sauerbrey Fire Marshall District 5 talked about fire safety outside your home.
• Discard cigarette butts in a proper container – preferably a bucket of water
• Most summer fires are caused by: cigarettes, fire pits, motorcycles, fireworks, matches, backyard burning. and BBQ’s.
• Arbor vitae is extremely flammable and he recommends having it far away from your house. “It goes up like a roman candle” he said.
• Don’t put your BBQ on a wood deck, and keep it away from the house. Keep the propane tank in the shade, or it can overheat and vent gas, which can ignite later.
• If the propane tank is has flames – stop the gas flow and cool the tank with a hose.
• Fire pits should be no more than 3’x3’ and all vegetation should be cleared from around it. It should also be ringed by rocks. Have water or sand nearby to extinguish the fire, and make sure it’s completely out before leaving it. Commercial fire pits that you put on your deck, can cause enough conduction heat on a wooden deck to start a fire.
• There is a ban on backyard burning, that is burning brush, leaves or construction materials

A woman from the Tai Kwon Do school at the Y Plaza on the corner of 4th Plain and Ward Rd. brought her concerns regarding the new cement median on 4th Plain. It has effectively cut off access to the entire Plaza, and the businesses are seeing a dramatic loss of customers. There is also the problem of emergency vehicle access, which would be difficult and take extra time. We also received an e-mail from another tenant of the Plaza with the same concerns. She was advised to call the Fire Marshall to have him take a look at the situation, and she has on-going communication with the city and county to resolve the problem.