Just 3 months now since the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department hired inmate crews and community volunteers have worked tirelessly to clean up the horrible mess from the derelict dock washed ashore lighthouse beach, citizens are again concerned for the impending danger and debris from a house, precariously hanging cliffside along the same stretch of beach.
"I know after the challenges the dock clean up have posed, a house would probably be equally, if not more difficult to remove the debris from lighthouse beach," said Ian Rodger, a local volunteer from Southwestern Oregon Community College who helped lead multiple cleanup efforts from the dock that washed ashore earlier this year. Ian came to Surfrider with this issue about the same time Oregon Shores also was hearing from a CoastWatch volunteer concerned about the house. "A few weeks of inquiries like this from our members and partner groups was enough for me to start diving into this issue", said Charlie Plybon of Surfrider Foundation.
The house of concern at lighthouse beach
We've done a bit of research and documentation on the property and our primary interest is to work with the property owner, the county and the state to determine a suitable solution that takes into account the public's safety and enjoyment of the beach as well as the homeowner's options. The house is currently vacant, and the homeowner lives in Georgia, so at this point in time we're not even sure of their knowledge of the structure's imminent danger to the beach. To that extent, we've worked with OPRD, touring the site beach side and documenting some of the concerns (see photos below) to help build the case for the public's concern for safety and reasonable response. In a letter today issued from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the homeowner was notified of the impending danger and the responsibility of the homeowner for any cleanup and removal that could occur from continued site erosion. We hope to take this as a first step and see where it leads us with the homeowner.
The small margin eroded between the foundation and the bluff
A second measurement at the chimney
A side view of the undercut foundation
Beachside reference of previous photographs
Fence line hangs precariously over the beach...watch out for falling objects!