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Clackamas County issues dangerous building closure notice and serves the owners with a public and chronic nuisance lawsuit
An equestrian and event center that has a long history of violation of various county code violations – including hosting events with thousands of people in a building that has a maximum occupancy of 300 people – was issued a dangerous building closure notice, and served with a public and chronic nuisance lawsuit today by Clackamas County code enforcement officials.
Located in Boring, The Mt. Hood Center will not be able to legally host any future scheduled events, including weddings, birthdays, the High Noon in Boring event on April 20 and the Derby Party on May 4. People who put down deposit money or purchased event tickets at the Mt. Hood Center should contact the facility regarding refunds.
Since 2017, county code enforcement officers have repeatedly reviewed the building code process with the owners of the six-parcel, 18-acre facility, explained why land use authorization is needed before any construction can begin and explained how to voluntarily comply with county and state codes. However, the owner of the facility, Kaluga, LLC, has repeatedly rebuffed all help Clackamas County has offered to get the facility to comply with county and state codes, forcing the county to issue the closure notices. County officials told the owners to be compliant with the building code, they must first have a land use authorization for their uses of the property. Officials also noted there were unpermitted buildings and unpermitted construction on the site. Some permit submittals have been made for this work, but the submittals were not completed due to the lack of land use authorization.
“We don’t take these actions lightly,” said Clackamas County Attorney Jeffrey Munns. “Issuing these notices is our last resort to any business, but we must to protect the public. We want everyone to be safe at any facility they visit in the county, and our code enforcement team does a great job of working with owners of facilities who are out of compliance. In this instance, unfortunately, the owners of the Mt. Hood Center refused to follow county codes and state laws despite our repeated efforts to help them.”
Currently licensed as an equestrian facility with a maximum occupancy of 300 people, the facility has hosted multiple events and constructed buildings in violation of county codes, including building and land uses such as:
- Weddings, festivals, concerts and other events
- Rodeos and roughstock events
- Outdoor arena/trail course
- Food carts and markets
- Camping and full hookup RV rentals
Some of the above listed events have had thousands of people that far exceeded the maximum allowed occupancy in the equestrian center at the same time. This past March, the facility hosted an event for which the building was not zoned. With several thousand people in attendance, a Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office incident report detailed that there were “multiple highly intoxicated” people at the event. During that event, bracelets were used to identify patrons 21 years of age or older to signify they were of legal drinking age. However, many of those bracelets were scattered on the floor, available to be picked up by anyone – including minors. Alcohol beverage containers were also found throughout the venue, despite alcohol limited to being legally in the bar area. Bartenders were seen handing beers to people over a side fence, away from the serving counter. The Clackamas Fire’s Fire Marshal responded to the event, finding blocked exits and the event clearly exceeding the venue’s capacity.
Clackamas Fire Public Information Officer Izak Hamilton pointed to the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, Ca., that took place in 2016 as a reason why building codes must be followed. In that event, a fire started in a warehouse that had been unlawfully converted into living spaces and started hosting concerts. That fire killed 36 people, resulting in being the deadliest fire in the history of the city.
“That’s a constant reminder that if we do not follow through with enforcing these codes, which are birthed from historical events, lives can and will be lost,” he said. “It's only a matter of time before the negligence shown by this property manager will result in a potentially horrific event."
The Mt. Hood Center is also the site of a rodeo – again without having the proper permits or land use approvals -- that made local headlines on Dec. 31, 2023 where a bull was repeatedly poked with a cattle prod on its neck and rear end. Later, a man approached the bull and bit its tail.
There is no scheduled date for the business to reopen.
Dec. 31 rodeo video -- This video is from an attendee who recorded video of rodeo workers mistreating a bull while it was on the ground. This event took place on Dec. 31, 2023.
March 16, 2024 event video 1 -- A mass of people can be seen shoving and yelling attempting to gain entrance into the equestrian center for a March 16 concert.
March 16, 2024 event video 2 -- Security is overwhelmed by people pushing and shoving to gain entrance to the equestrian facility at the Mt. Hood Center for a March 16 concert.
March 16, 2024 event video 3 -- Security at the equestrian facility at the Mt. Hood Center try to close the doors as thousands of people try to get in to a March 16 concert.
March 16, 2024 event video 4 -- Thousands of people can be seen in attendance at a March 16 concert at the Mt. Hood Center. The equestrian facility that hosted the event has a maximum occupancy of only 300 people.