Business owner says little has changed after RV causes over $300,000 in damage

More than a week and over $300,000 later, Dan Lehr says little has changed near his West Seattle business.

"Nothing, the RVs are still there. They've moved about 30-40 feet, but nothing has really changed," the owner of West Seattle Health Club said.

On October 17, Lehr said a derelict recreational vehicle from an adjacent encampment plowed into the pool area of his club, sparking a fire. Two people were seen running from the crash.

Yet, there are no arrests. The fire department says it will cost $311,000 to repair the building. On Friday Lehr could still look outside and see rundown RVs.

"It's frustrating," he said.

Lehr believed the incident would potentially bring some new enforcement to the area near 28th and Andover where a string of older model, stained vehicles have set up. A few had moved up the street, but at least a half dozen remained.

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It may be based on a complicated formula used to prioritize city spending, along with public safety and health risks. That's according to Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who says she's been in contact with Lehr. Herbold found out the site near Lehr’s business ranked near the bottom of an assessment of 48 different unauthorized encampments.

Herbold says only the top six encampments on the list will be addressed every month, based on city finances.

"If we want SPU and police department to do more, we have to fund them more," she told KING5.

Herbold has pitched a line item to increase funding for RV encampment mitigation. She also says its important, whether in West Seattle or elsewhere, that concerned citizens report incidents of crime they think are related to encampment sites. Incident reports factor into the scoring, and in the West Seattle Health Club's case, a lack of reporting may have impacted the response.

Also see | Seattle business owners at odds with RV residents

"If you're not putting those calls in - the Police Department can't investigate - to determine which of those complaints are valid or assess it," said Herbold.

Fehr says he believes short-term fixes could help, include instituting a no parking zone and finding a safe lot in West Seattle, a hot-button issue in years past.

"I understand it's a complex problem," he says, "But I think they've muddied the waters."