Hoquiam taking steps to deal with problem property on Monroe Street

By Dan Hammock • November 9, 2018 1:30 am
DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The property at 220 Monroe St. in Hoquiam has had numerous city code violations filed against owner Mart Liikane since July. The property sits adjacent to the Chehalis River, where several boats have sunk and leaked fuel in the course of a year.
DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The property at 220 Monroe St. in Hoquiam has had numerous city code violations filed against owner Mart Liikane since July. The property sits adjacent to the Chehalis River, where several boats have sunk and leaked fuel in the course of a year.

The owner of 220 Monroe St. in Hoquiam, where four boats have sunk in the Hoquiam River over the past few months, has been cited numerous times since July for city code violations, including the presence of junk boats and cars and operating a business without a license.

A dozen or more boats are piled up on the property and several more are moored at a small dock in the river. There are also several junk cars and RVs. None of the vehicles appear to be in working order. There are two buildings on the property, a large metal structure that is falling into disrepair, and a smaller concrete structure that is missing its south and east walls.

Hoquiam city administrator Brian Shay said of the property owner, Mart Liikane and his past encounters with the city, “every time he has some personal issue” that keeps him from taking care of the property. The city has been working with the Department of Ecology, the Department of Natural Resources and the Coast Guard exploring options for dealing with the nuisance property. A notice of code compliance dated Aug. 14 indicated the city would be taking legal action “to abate the public nuisance.”

The property sits on the west bank of the Hoquiam River just north of the Riverside Avenue Bridge, across the river from Root’s Shipyard. Liikane, who lives on the property, said he purchased it with the intention of repairing and storing boats. The existing dock at the property was installed by previous owners.

“The future plan is to do that, but the City of Hoquiam has it zoned where I can’t have a marina,” said Liikane. “I can’t do anything with it without a zoning change.”

Liikane said he has every intention of cleaning up the property but has made very little progress since he was presented with the code violations in July and August.

The two boats that sunk most recently are not owned by Liikane, he said. Those two vessels are completely submerged, the mast of a third boat can be seen above the waterline on the south end of the property.

Liikane claims his property has become something of a dumping ground for abandoned boats, with people just dropping them off without his consent.

“There have been two separate parties who left their boats there and just let them sink,” said Liikane. “They just run off and nobody comes back to clean up the mess.”

Lon Howell, the city’s building and planning official, has reported at least five separate violations dealing with the condition of the property dating back to July. In each instance, Liikane has told the city he intends to clean up the property and comply with the city’s requirements, but has failed to do so, according to the records kept by Howell.

Public records obtained from the City of Hoquiam by The Daily World indicate Liikane has been fined at least $1,000 by the city for these five violations.  

In a letter Howell wrote to Liikane dated Aug. 14, Howell noted the penalty for failure to comply with one of the city’s orders “could result in possible monetary penalties of up to $500 per day for each day the violation exists.” The initial $500 fine was presented to Liikane Sept. 6.

Violations include:

– Vehicles and “other items” on the Eklund Avenue right-of-way.

– Construction of a steel framed structure without a building permit.

– Junk vehicles.

– Storing boats and cars “in various states of decay.”

– Deteriorated buildings.

According to Howell, “The City does not have a record of a City business license for operating a ship terminal or repair facility, boat storage, or boat repair.”

In Howell’s reports he notes that Liikane told him he’s charging $300 a month each for mooring two vessels, again without a business permit. Liikane maintains he is not running a business at the property and said the boats on the property are more like a hobby for him.

There is also a large crane on the property. According to Howell, the operator of that crane has moved boats over city right-of-way and neighboring properties, “causing alarm to property owners.”

Fuel leaks from the sunken boats are a continuing problem as crews from the Department of Ecology Spill Response Team had to return several times to move the boom containing the diesel spill. Because the two boats were moored together, one pulling the other one down on top of it, crews were unable to safely remove the fuel in the days after the sinking.

Ecology bears the up-front expense of clean-up activities, but in the end the landowner is responsible for paying the cost.

“Ecology is 100 percent intent on recouping the cost of cleanup,” said Shay.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Abandoned boats, cars and RVs litter the property at 220 Monroe St. in Hoquiam, prompting several city-issued code violations against the landowner, Mart Liikane. This is the property were several boats have sunk in the Chehalis River in recent months, requiring cleanup efforts by the Department of Ecology to remove leaking fuel.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Abandoned boats, cars and RVs litter the property at 220 Monroe St. in Hoquiam, prompting several city-issued code violations against the landowner, Mart Liikane. This is the property were several boats have sunk in the Chehalis River in recent months, requiring cleanup efforts by the Department of Ecology to remove leaking fuel.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The property at 220 Monroe St. in Hoquiam has had numerous city code violations filed against owner Mart Liikane since July. The property sits adjacent to the Chehalis River, where several boats have sunk and leaked fuel in the course of a year.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The property at 220 Monroe St. in Hoquiam has had numerous city code violations filed against owner Mart Liikane since July. The property sits adjacent to the Chehalis River, where several boats have sunk and leaked fuel in the course of a year.