As city officials continue to talk about posting trespassing notices for campers along the Chehalis River, property owner Michael Lang said he simply wants to be rid of the land.
Lang, on Thursday, added that although he’d like to see the campers find alternative housing options, removing them from the property is in the city’s hands.
“It’s not up to me,” he said. “I’m a pawn in the middle. The city ordered me to get down there and get them out and I have no choice. They obviously have the legal right to do that.”
City of Aberdeen Attorney Eric Nelson said Wednesday the city had given Lang a deadline of June to have the property cleaned. The agreement also stipulated that trespassing notices would be issued at some point between now and Lang’s deadline, though Nelson did not specify a date.
Lang bought the land, he said, as investment property about 25 years ago. Since then, it’s become a “headache” to own and maintain as the city struggles to regulate the campers and their trash, he said.
It’s currently on the market for $400,000, said Rex Valentine, the real estate agent managing the listing. Though the property is assessed at just more than $470,000, Valentine said he thinks it’s worth about $800,000.
Although campers have lived in the area for at least the last year, the latest rousing came in early March when city Code Enforcement Officer Bill Sidor posted notices to vacate the area by the end of the month. Campers and advocates pleaded with officials, leading to an extension by several weeks.
A clean-up effort of the area that some have dubbed “Rivercamp,” led by local volunteers with the hopes of extending their time on the land even longer, began almost three weeks ago.
Local businessman and Aberdeen Revitalization Movement volunteer Tim Quigg, during the effort, donated a portable toilet and a communal supply of wood for burning. Lang said he didn’t mind the donations, but didn’t support an encampment that the city had deemed illegal.
Quigg, on Friday, was making more donations in the form of washing machine tubs for campers to use as fire pits. He also unloaded about a dozen wooden boards intended for campers to make additions to their campsites.
Valentine, also at the site on Friday, said he had talked to city officials that morning, and asked them to consider allowing campers to stay through June and July as long as they continue to clean. Officials, he said, listened, but didn’t outright agree. Valentine said he was aware that the city could not authorize an encampment on the property.
Lang, on Thursday, added that he was sympathetic to the struggles of campers trying to find a place to live.
“We all know that it’s a difficult issue and we all feel sorry for the people who are down there,” he said. “I’m just hoping that they find some kind of a good alternative.”
Kyle Mittan, 360-537-3932, kmittan@thedailyworld.com. Twitter: @KyleMittan
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