News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A chip-sealing project on Locust Street/Camp Polk Road went badly awry this week, causing damage to numerous vehicles. The Deschutes County Road Department is making good on the damage.
Road Department Director Chris Doty told The Nugget what happened on Wednesday, July 10.
Too much oil and opening to traffic too soon have been identified as the culprits in a road work mishap that messed up dozens of cars in Sisters.
"Chip sealing can be very finicky," he said. "In this case, a little too much oil was applied and we released the road to traffic before the oil had time to settle."
The result was "traffic driving on the road before it was ready," and cars being pelted with oil and bits of gravel.
"We've received upwards of 70 claims so far," Doty told The Nugget on Friday morning. "It's a mistake and we need to fix it."
That number has only risen.
Doty said that Laurie Smith, Deschutes County Risk Management, is processing claims and has contacted several local auto detail vendors and repair shops. She can be reached at 541-385-1749.
Outlaw Auto Detailing and 3 Sisters Automotive have been designated as service providers - and they're seeing a lot of traffic. Nugget reporter Matt Van Slyke brought his vehicle in and Danny Lingo at 3 Sisters Automotive removed rocks from the area between the dust shield and the rotors. He said that has been the common problem from the chip sealing mishap.
Desmond Boots of Outlaw Auto Detailing told Van Slyke last week that, over two days, he had received about 50 phone calls - and he was anticipating a lot more.
"I don't think there's been more than a 10-minute span that the phone hasn't been ringing or someone hasn't called in," he said.
His four-person crew will take on four or five projects a day, and their schedule suddenly got very full.
"We were one week out before all this happened, and then, within one day, were about .... A full four weeks out," he said.
Boots said that everyone has been happy with Smith's efforts to right the problem.
"I will say that Laurie with the county has been amazing," he said. "Everybody that I talked to that has called in said that she's been great. So, they've taken full accountability."
Doty provided The Nugget with what he described as a home remedy for those who want to remove the tarry oil themselves.
"For minor oil accumulation, the application of olive oil (to soften the oil droplets), followed by a wash with dish soap is a proven home remedy," he stated.
However, commentators have urged users not to use dish soap, but to get soap formulated for use on cars. Dish soap can affect a car's clear coat and protective wax.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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