I recently wrote a letter to the Clark County Board of Commissioners regarding trailer trucks parking along Northeast 20th Street in east Vancouver, just off of Northeast 162nd Avenue. At this point, I am not sure that this street has been annexed into the city, but previously it was county.
The trucks, sometimes up to six of them, park continuously on this street which abuts a residential community. It obstructs traffic flow for the residents coming and going along this street and blocks the view of drivers leaving East Woods Presbyterian Church of any oncoming traffic. According to the county code, laws have been written and enacted which seem to have criteria which should be enforced.
Please let me know What’s Up With This? Thanks.
— Sandra Schoof, east Vancouver
Well Sandra, it’s understandable that you aren’t sure if your road is part of Clark County or Vancouver. A few of the people I called at the county and city weren’t sure, either.
Why the confusion? East Woods Presbyterian Church, which is on the north side of the street, is in Clark County; the property across the street is in the city of Vancouver. In your particular neck of the woods, Northeast 20th Street serves as the border between what is county and what is city.
Lucky for you, the responsibility for the road isn’t shared — it belongs to Clark County.
I called Deputy James Naramore of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to see if he knew anything about your situation. Naramore works with Clark County Public Works and specializes in dealing with issues related to commercial vehicles, parking and right-of-way issues.
Interestingly enough, he said the county commissioners handed your letter off to him some time ago, prompting an investigation.
“We’ve gotten other complaints in the past about truckers parking in that area,” Naramore said.
He does monitor the area, but there isn’t much he can do about the trucks. Even though your church “abuts a residential community,” it is in a commercial zoned area. That means county code, which states trucks longer than 20 feet or in excess of 10,001 pounds cannot be parked or left standing in a residential area, does not apply.
Naramore handed things off to Clark County Public Works so it could see if the truck parking obstructs road maintenance or is hazardous to the public — both of which are illegal on any county road.
“When it starts becoming a visual hazard, either I can cite them for sight obstruction or can work with Public Works for a long-term solution,” Naramore said. “We try to alleviate future issues or incidents in reference to parking or sight distance.”
It sounds like Public Works found that long-term solution you were looking for.
The county will place a few “No Parking” signs along Northeast 20th Street to the east of your church, Naramore said a few weeks after our initial conversation.
Oh, and as far as your letter goes: just because you don’t get an immediate response from the commissioners doesn’t mean they ignored you. By sending it directly to them, you initiated a bureaucratic shuffle of paperwork.
Commissioners sent the letter to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office sent the letter to Naramore. Naramore said he will send a report back to the commissioners, who will then write a response to your letter.
Naramore suggests anyone with concerns about commercial vehicles, parking or right-of-way issues in Clark County contact him directly at 360-397-2211, extension 1624.
Got a question about your neighborhood? We’ll get it answered. Send “What’s up with that?” questions to neighbors@columbian.com.
