COBB >> After a series of issues that plagued Hoberg’s Resort following the Valley Fire, clean-up of the historic venue is set to be wrapped up by October 15.
Karl Parker, head of the Cobb Abatement Monitoring Committee, said they have been working with Hoberg’s management to make sure clean-up is progressing. As of Wednesday, 65 loads of waste have already been transported to the local landfill and over 20 loads to other dumping sites outside of the county.
“We have been meeting weekly with the Hobergs management in attempt to build the bridge between them and the community because there were many concerns in the community about what was going on,” Parker said.
Management of the property have been pushing to complete the process by mid-October to ensure that hazardous materials and other complications are clear before the rainy season hits.
The County Environmental Health Department and Air Quality Control checked a finalized agreement between the Resort and a company for soil testing to see if any additional cleanup will be needed. The test is currently underway and will be completed by August 24.
Other site materials, such as wood and concrete will be recycled or given to locals. Over 155 loads of firewood have been delivered to local residents and 900 cords of it have been processed and taken off the Hoberg property.
In all, 80 percent of the wood has been cleaned off the property. Parker said less than five percent will remain by the October deadline and those piles will be moved to the back of the property for future processing.
“The Hoberg’s Historical Association and its mortgage holders have spent close to $1 million to date in getting the old resort site cleaned up,” Parker said.
Removing tree stumps out of the ground is also a process that will be undertaken. One option is to set fire to the stumps, but District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said this would cause an emotional impact on residents in the area and another alternative should be looked into.
“There needs to be another option. Move them somewhere else, grind them, chip them, do whatever but when someone starts a barbecue up there right now it rattles nerves,” Brown said. “To burn stumps and have that smolder and smoke is not going to work.”
Several months after the Valley Fire, in the spring of 2016, the county had to step in an order the resort to stop sewage from leaving from its damaged septic system. When Hoberg’s moved to set up a temporary milling operation to clear damaged trees, the county again intervened.
Last year, Dan Nelson, the man who worked to revive the historic resort, served a jail term for mishandling asbestos during renovation work that began in 2011.
The Hoberg management feels very confident that the clean-up efforts will be completed by their stated deadline in October and the next couple of months will show a dramatic change of appearance on the site Parker said.
The county will be checking back in with the progress of the project in the October 3 meeting.
