Clackamas County forces event center in Boring to shut down after alleged code violations

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Officials in Clackamas County are shutting down an equestrian and event center in Boring after what they describe as a years-long history of the land owners violating building codes.

The owners of Mt. Hood Center in Boring, Oregon were issued a “public and chronic nuisance lawsuit” by officials, alongside the notice of its closure, according to a release by Clackamas County.

Officials said the various county code violations the center had committed over the years include hosting events for which it wasn’t zoned, making unauthorized constructions on the property and allowing the building to be occupied above its maximum capacity of 300. The county also accused the center of hosting a poorly regulated event with alcohol.

Due to the sudden closure, county officials said planned events at Mt. Hood Center are effectively canceled, including the High Noon in Boring event on April 20 and the Derby Party on May 4. They said people who already put down money for these events should contact the facility for a refund.

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The venue was issued a dangerous building closure notice Wednesday afternoon. Officials said the facility could remain closed for up to a year and could face up to $10,000 in fines. However, the venue can appeal the code violations if they want to reopen. The owners also have 30 days to respond to the lawsuit.

The county said they’ve been attempting to work with the center to educate them on what they need to do to comply with codes as far back as 2017. However, the county accused the Mt. Hood Center owners, Kaluga, LLC, as having “repeatedly rebuffed” any help from them over the years.

For instance, the county said they told the Mt. Hood Center owners that they must complete a land use authorization to be up to code. However, the county said the center never got this done and has repeatedly held events in violation of the code ever since.

Clackamas Fire Public Information Officer Izak Hamilton told KOIN 6 News that shutting the venue down was in service of avoiding a “huge catastrophic event” in which even responding firefighters could “potentially get hurt as well.”

The center is only licensed as an equestrian center with a maximum capacity of 300 people, officials said. Despite this, the facility has hosted a large number of events outside the purview of what they are permitted to do, including weddings, festivals, rodeos, food cart and market events, camping and full hookup RV rentals, according to officials.

In some cases, these unauthorized events have drawn thousands of people to the building at once, far exceeding its 300-person occupancy, the county said.

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There was even a large concert held at the venue in March.

“When we arrived, I think the estimate for attendees was around 7,500,” Hamilton said.

Video from the concert, showing crowds of people, even surfaced online.

“You can see that people are having a difficult time getting through any of the doorways. And there’s video showing the size of the crowd from the stage,” said Clackamas County Attorney Jeffrey Munns. “The facility doesn’t have the required safety systems and fire alarms, and so on, that are necessary for large events like this.”

At one point, the Mt. Hood Center allegedly hosted an event involving alcohol in which the area designated for 21-and-older, and accompanying bracelets, weren’t well-regulated. As the press release explained:

“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.”

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Hamilton said a warehouse fire in Oakland, California, in which building codes were similarly ignored, resulted in the death of 36 people in 2016. He said the Mt. Hood Center could face a similar tragedy in the future if they continue to operate outside of county codes.

“It’s only a matter of time before the negligence shown by this property manager will result in a potentially horrific event.”

Officials said a rodeo held at Mt. Hood Center on Dec. 31 also operated outside of the proper permits. The county even shared videos allegedly showing the mistreatment of a bull. Reports also surfaced that the animal was being poked with a cattle prod repeatedly and that someone bit it on its tail at one point.

KOIN 6 News has reached out to Mt. Hood Center and Kaluga, LLC for comment; this story will be updated when we hear back

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