Post by Admin on Sept 12, 2019 18:13:45 GMT -7
Golemeyer Creek Violations - Timeline of Events
- Early Fall 2017 - The Glastonbury Landowner's Association(GLA) Road Committee is notified that Golmeyer Creek is eroding Hercules Road in High South Glastonbury.
- October 2017 - Road Committee members Walter Wunsch and GLA President Dennis Riley research and file for needed permits.
- November 2017 - Permits are approved by the Army Corps of Engineers and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation(DNRC) via the Park County Conservation District(PCCD).
- April 24th, 2018 - Golmeyer Creek overflows its banks on the Waterfall property owned by Kathleen Ramp. Hercules Road in High South Glastonbury is severally damaged.
- April 26th, 2018 - Kathleen Ramp is notified that water from her property is flooding and damaging a GLA road; Hercules. Ramp is not held responsible for the ensuing road damage. Glastonbury landowners are forced to pay for the repairs and cleanup of Hercules Road. Instead an undersized culvert beneath Scorpio is blamed for not draining the flood water quickly enough.
- May 2nd, 2018 - Chad Standish, hired by Ramp, dredges part of Golmeyer Creek on her property and the water level drops dramatically.
- May 13th, 2018 - Ramp signs an "Emergency Notice" as required by Montana law and files it with the the Park County Conservation District.
- May 29th, 2018 - The Park County Conservation District receives the notice and inspects Ramp's property and dredging.
- June 5th, 2018 - The Park County Conservation District issues a 310 permit to Ramp and requires that she clean up the excavator work. They give her permission to start work on or after June 19th, 2018. Ramp agrees by signing and dating the permit on June 19th.
- June 8th, 2018 - Chad Standish, under the hire and pay of the GLA, starts to excavate Hercules Road in front of Ramp's property. He finishes on June 11th, 2018. Many loads of contaminated Hercules road spoils are dumped on Ramp's property along Golmeyer Creek. Part of the creek is filled in and widened. Wetlands are also covered as a new private driveway is built. The supposedly undersized culvert beneath Scorpio was neither cleaned nor replaced.
- June 8th, 2018 - Walter Wunsch speaking for the GLA Board sends a series of urgent, high priority emails to the Army Corps of Engineers requesting that four more areas along Golmeyer Creek be added to the existing permit. The flooding ended over a month ago and Hercules road is in no danger. Photos supplied by Wunsch and published by the Forum show Hercules Road is high and dry. Only one area shows mud and that is on the side of Hercules.
- June 12th, 2018 - Chad Standish begins work at point "A-A" along Golmeyer Creek. Contaminated Hercules Road soil is used to fill and dam a creek channel.
- June 13th and June 15th - Areas including private property along and in Golmeyer Creek that were not included in the original Army Corps and Park County Conservation District permits are excavated. Wetlands are filled in and large parts of the original creek are obliterated.
- June 25th, 2018 - Chad Standish finishes work along Golmeyer Creek in High South Glastonbury.
- June 26th, 2018 - Walter Wunsch is asked at a GLA Road Committee meeting if the work along Golmeyer Creek was "legal". He replied that he was trying to convince his contact at the Corps of Engineers to add in areas that were recently excavated. He acknowledged that more permits may be needed.
- June 26th, 2018 - At the same meeting Regina Wunsch, the GLA Treasurer offers to "donate" $1,000.00 to cover the extensive work done on Golmeyer Creek on the Wunsch's property and billed to the GLA. In an August 14th 2018 email Regina Wunsch explained that the donation was not for work performed on their property. It was simply a donation because the 310 permit work was over budget. No payment was required from her or Walter Wunsch because the work the GLA paid for on their property, benefits the GLA; not the Wunschs.
- August 7th, 2018 - The Forums emails specific questions to the GLA Board, President Dennis Riley, Project Leader Walter Wunsch and the current Road Committee. No response is received.
- August 9th, 2018 - At a GLA Road Committee meeting Project Leader Walter Wunsch once again insists that all of the work was legal and that he is working on acquiring the needed permits. In the draft meeting minutes under 2.a it is stated "Goldmeyer Creek: The area has dried out, and work can be completed as specified in the 310 permit. Upon completion the Army Corps of Engineers will sign off". Additional illegal creek excavation work was planned at point "C" but it was never completed.
- August 13th, 2018 - Walter Wunsch emails Army Corps of Engineers written descriptions of the work performed with photos.
- August 13th, 2018 - GLA Board Meeting. Regina Wunsch offers her viewpoint and explains that all of the work performed was legal. Walter had a verbal agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers that superseded Montana agencies and allowed the GLA to excavate Golmeyer Creek as needed. Walter will document the work and provide a report to the Corps which they are expected to approve.
- August 15th, 2018 - On August 13th, 2018 the Forum emailed several questions to Chad Standish of Standish Excavation. He was the contractor the Glastonbury Landowners Association(GLA) used for all of the Golmeyer Creek work. Chad confirmed to us that he received a copy of the Army Corps of Engineers permit and construction guidelines. He also received a copy of the Park County Conservation District 310 permit. Chad also told us that the GLA instructed him to deposit Hercules Road spoils onto Kathleen Ramp's property and build a berm/driveway there. He said that the GLA asked him to build a berm and dredge Golmeyer Creek on Walter Wunsch's property. Chad concluded our questions by saying that all of the Golmeyer Creek "work was completed and approved by DEQ, ARMY CORP, and DNRC and GLA".
- August 21st, 2018 - Dylan Hickey from the Army Corps of Engineers visits Walter Wunsch and and together they tour the Golemeyer Creek Excavation site. A list of five areas effected, two which are classified by Hickey as wetlands, is compiled.
- August 23rd, 2018 - At a Road Committee meeting held at SpecTec Walter Wunsch admits to making "an innocent mistake" when discussing the visit and tour with Dylan Hickey on August 21st. He goes on to explain that some of the work will have to be redone and the Corps permit was "upgraded" to a 404 from a 310. A 404 permits sets much higher standards for preservation of wetlands and the creek. It requires that all possible solution be explored before the creek can be dredged. Simply raising the level of Hercules Road 18 to 24 inches and installing a thick layer of angular rock underneath could solve the flooding problem.
- October 9th, 2018 - Jessica Mayo of the Park County Conservation District contacts the GLA and schedules an inspection concerning "Potential Golemeyer Creek Violation" as documented in the GLA January 21st, 2019 Response letter.
- October 16th, 2018 - Around this date a person from the Park County Conservation Board and one from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks tour and inspect the Golemeyer Creek excavation site with GLA Board President Dennis Riley, Project Facilitator and GLA Board agent Walter Wunsch and Ken Hurley the future GLA Road Committee chair. Confirmed by President Riley in a July 25th, 2019 interview.
- October 29th, 2018 - The GLA sends a letter to Jessica Mayo regarding "Potential Golemeyer Creek Violation File #PK-67-18C". Both Walter Wunsch and President Dennis Riley sign the letter which is on official GLA stationary.
- November 12th, 2018 - The official GLA minutes of the November 12th Road Committee meeting state that the "Golemeyer Creek complaint was resolved".
- December 4th, 2018 - An Army Corps of Engineers Notice of Violation letter is sent by certified mail to GLA Board agent and Project Facilitator Walter Wunsch. It lists five areas and six violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The Corps states that is has no record of any permit or exemption being granted for the work performed in the five areas. It asks Wunsch to respond by January 21st, 2019. It also requires Wunsch to delineate the wetlands impacted and specify the methods used for delineation.
- December 6th, 2018 - Walter Wunsch calls Dylan Hickey of the Army Corps of Engineers and complains about the "harsh tenor" of the Notice of Violation. Hickey responded that the activity was a violation of the Clean Water Act. Walter stated that the road was damaged and that Park County was happy with his work. Hickey requests wetland impact information and asks for a written response by January 21st, 2019.
- A trusted landowner has told the Forum that in December of 2018 Walter Wunsch paid him a visit. Wunsch talked about permit violations and asked the landowner that if this matter went to court would he testify in his defense? The landowner who was familiar with the permit violations replied that he would not lie for Wunsch. Wunsch left empty handed and has not contacted the landowner since.
- January 21st, 2019 - The GLA responds to the Corps Notice of Violation. The letter is written on GLA stationary and signed by Walter Wunsch and GLA President Dennis Riley. The letter claims that no wetlands were impacted, that the Corps gave Wunsch "verbal approval" to excavate Golemeyer Creek and that Jessica Mayo of the Park County Conservation District was pleased with the work and agreed that the GLA was NOT in violation of the original 310 permit. Wunsch added that Mayo would be sending a letter stating such as soon as she finds time. As of August 1st, 2019 Mayo's letter has yet to arrive.
- July 20th, 2019 - The Forum contacts all members of the GLA Board and asks if they knew of any Golemeyer Creek violations. Only a few directors answer our inquiry. All stated that they were not aware of any violations. Two Road Chairs, Ken Hurley and John Carp denied any knowledge of violations and suggested that we ask President Riley. The rest remained silent.
- July 25th, 2019 - The Forum interviews GLA President Dennis Riley and Road Chair Ken Hurley. Riley repeatedly and emphatically stated "there were no violations or Board communications with the agencies". Hurley nodded his head in agreement. The Forum has contacted Walter Wunsch by email and he replied on July 26th. We asked Wunsch "Could you please confirm whether you are in agreement with Dennis and the GLA Board regarding the absence of any violations?". Wunsch replied "Dennis and Ken's statement are overall correct.".
- August 12th, 2018 - At a GLA Board meeting President Dennis Riley is asked by the Forum "When did you first learn of the Golemeyer Creek violations"? Riley explodes in anger and states "This is not a court of law and I do not have to tell you anything". Then Riley goes on to say that his July 25th statement to the Forum was correct. He continued that he did not know of violations because Walter Wunsch never told him. The GLA Board asks Riley to investigate the matter and come back with a report. Riley agrees to do so.
- August 13th, 2019 - The Forum contacts Walter and his wife Regina Wunsch by email. We explain what President Riley stated at the August 13th GLA Board meeting and ask for their comments. Regina replied "Walter received the violation letter being the agent for the GLA. Walter contacted Dennis {GLA President Riley} regarding this, since Dennis is the legal applicant for the project and responsible for the reply. A three page detailed response was drafted which both Dennis and Walter signed. This was sent to Helena via certified mail. Walter followed up via a phone call several days later and the chief engineer acknowledged receipt of the letter. A copy of this response to Helena, signed by Dennis and Walter, was also sent to the Park County agency.".
- September 9th, 2019 - The report the GLA Board assigned to President Riley regarding Golemeyer Creek and violations of federal law was NOT presented. No mention of Golemeyer Creek was made during the entire Board meeting.