Kalama tackles cow woes tonight
Wednesday, February 7, 2007 6:26 AM PST
By Leila Summers
Printable version
E-mail this articleToo many safety hazards already exist on Kalama's China Garden Road without the threat of cattle roaming the street, residents of the road say.
The steep, winding road is notorious for speeders, said China Garden resident Dan Faria. Other neighbors said wild animals wandering the roadway are enough to keep travelers on alert.
"I've seen people going at least 60 mph," Faria said of the mostly 35 mph roadway.
Though many China Garden residents haven't seen cattle on their road, Kalama Police Chief Bruce Hall said it's an ongoing problem that started last March. Most incidences involved cattle owned by the same Kalama resident, John Birch, who couldn't be cited for the problem because the city's animal ordinance doesn't address "livestock at large" or proper fencing, Hall said.
Kalama police tonight are scheduled to propose an amendment to the City Council to include livestock in the animal ordinance.
Previous codes address little on the subject, except to allow cattle only on property of at least three acres in size within city limits.
Mayor Pete Poulsen said he supports the amendment because of the potential liability that could fall on the cattle owner if the animal is responsible for a vehicle crash. "And I think the city should have some ability to apply some pressure, such as a fine," Poulsen said.
Vehicles encountering large animals at high speed present a huge safety problem, said China Garden resident Ryan Cruser, who works as a Cowlitz County Sheriff's deputy.
Cruser said he's dealt with cow versus vehicle accidents in the past, and they've proved detrimental for both humans and the animals.
"Cows are heavy," he said. "They do a lot of damage to a passenger car these days."
The only time Cruser spotted cows on China Garden Road was near Kalama schoolgrounds. The cattle were far enough off the road not to be a safety hazard, he said.
Kalama Superintendent Jim Sutton said he's seen cattle a few times on the eastern edge of district property, by the athletic field.
"When I have seen them it's been reported and they're gone in a short period of time," he said. "I've never seen them by school buildings."
Since last March, Kalama police responded to 20 cattle calls --- a majority of which were along China Garden Road, Hall said. Because animals on the road present a safety hazard to the public, police herded cattle back to their home and contacted the owner.
Birch declined comment on the problem when contacted by the Daily News.
China Garden resident Rachel Somero said she hasn't seen cows, but has witnessed other animals that could pose a traffic hazard, such as bears, opossums and racoons, when taking her young son for walks along the road.
"There's enough animals (on the road)," she said.
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