Jury awards Selah woman $171,000 in eminent domain case

SELAH — A Selah woman should receive $171,000 in compensation for five century-old maple trees and other features removed from her property as part of a Yakima County road expansion project, a jury ruled Wednesday.

The county obtained the strip of Maxine Schreiner’s land by eminent domain in order to expand Selah Loop Road.

But the county and Schreiner differed over how much she should be paid for the 35-by-165-foot strip of land in front of her home.

Schreiner sought $190,000 at trial; the county’s attorney suggested a number more than $150,000 below that, said Yakima attorney Jamie Carmody, who represented Schreiner.

Judge Blaine Gibson had already agreed that Schreiner deserved nearly $22,000 for repairs to the septic system. County

attorney Ken Harper asked the jury to limit additional damages to just more than $22,000.

Schreiner gave the county permission to take her land for the road project, but was unable to come to an agreement with the county over how much compensation she should receive.

Harper maintained the county’s offer would cover repairs to her underground irrigation system and septic system. It would also replace her retaining wall, driveway and portions of her sidewalk and steps, he said.

But Carmody said that offer didn’t take into account landscaping features on her property. This includes shrubs, a mixture of five century-old maple and sycamore trees, and the original pipe-rail fencing that once surrounded Selah Central School. The school operated on Schreiner’s property from 1910 to the early 1940s.

The trees were removed last winter.

Harper declined to comment after the verdict. The county could still appeal the ruling.

Because the difference between the county’s offer and the jury’s settlement was more than 10 percent off, the county could have to pay Schreiner’s attorney fees. That issue will be debated later.

Schreiner’s property is part of a $6.2 million project — scheduled for completion this fall — that will make Selah Loop Road a four-lane street complete with sidewalks, curbs, gutters and bike lanes. Traffic lights will be installed at the intersection of Goodlander and Selah Loop roads, and a roundabout will be built at the Gore Road intersection to ensure smooth traffic flow.