North County Local News 4 Citizens file suit against Cedar Grove over odor issues Name city’s January 30-February 5, 2013 North County Outlook
By Beckye Randall Staff Writer/Editor Local residents who are fed up with the lack of solutions regarding an ongoing odor problem have joined together to file a large lawsuit against Cedar Grove Composting, the company they claim is responsible for the “disgusting smell.” About 350 people are
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seeking up to $75,000 each in the two separate lawsuits. 76 plaintiffs from Everett and Marysville filed suit in Snohomish County District Court on Wednesday, at the same time that a similar lawsuit listing approximately 280 people in the Maple Valley area was filed in King County District Court. Cedar Grove operates
composting facilities in both areas, and nearby residents have complained for years about “debilitating” odors, which worsen in warm weather, they believe emanate from the company’s operation. Company spokesperson Karen Dawson noted that Cedar Grove is in the process of reviewing the filing
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ment of their properties” as well as “annoyance, inconvenience and substantial personal discomfort.” The dollar amount— which would amount to more than $26 million if the claimants are successful— was determined by the fact that $75,000 per person is the upper limit to the amount of damages that can be requested through district courts. “When I started this fight to rid us of the foul odor, I truly had no idea it would so difficult to find a resolution,” Davis said. “The issue is simply that after 4-plus years of trying every possible way we could think of to get Cedar Grove to take responsibility for their odor problem and fix it, we felt we had no other choice.” It’s no coincidence that the lawsuits were filed concurrently. Citizen groups from both north Snohomish County and Maple Valley have been in contact over the problem for months, and representatives from both areas met with the attorneys to discuss the case. “The lawsuits are separate because they are filed in different counties,” Davis explained. “The complaint is the same and the problem is identical. The only common denominator is Cedar Grove.”
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newest park By Beckye Randall Staff Writer/Editor The City of Marysville is asking for the public’s help to decide on a name for a park slated to open later this year. In 2002 the city’s Parks Department acquired six acres of property known as the Doleshel Tree Farm, located on 67th Avenue NE near Kellogg Marsh Elementary School. Over the past three years, volunteers have donated hundreds of hours clearing, cleaning and improving the site that will become a passive park when it opens later this year, according to Jim Ballew, Parks and Recreation Director. The City’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has submitted three names to get the contest going: Rita Matheny Park, in recognition of the former mayor; Doleshel Tree Farm Park; and Don Arndt Park in recognition of slain police officer Don Arndt (1966); Deadline for entries is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15. The winner will be invited to cut the ribbon with Mayor Jon Nehring when the park opens later this year. Email your suggestions to tmizell@marysvillewa.gov, or vote via the website at marysvillewa.gov.
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and does not have any comments at this time. Last fall the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) held public forums in the Marysville area to explain an odor study it planned to undertake this year. Instruments called “e-noses” were to be installed at several possible odor-producing sites, including Cedar Grove, and volunteers were recruited to identify the source of odors. Officials from the City of Marysville and the Tulalip Tribes spoke out against the study process, calling it “deeply flawed” primarily because one of Cedar Grove’s current vendors, Odotech, would be responsible for installing, programming and monitoring the e-noses. “It is my opinion (and many others) that the ‘independent’ odor study was a complete mistake and gave Cedar Grove a way out of a position where the PSCAA and the Dept. of Ecology had achieved the ability to force them to fix the problem,” said Mike Davis, founder of the activist organization Citizens for a Smell Free Snohomish County. “The agencies allowed that position of power to slip away.” As reported in The Herald, the lawsuits claim that the plaintiffs have suffered “the loss of use and enjoy-
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