Seagull poop on roof of Oregon coast resort leads to $2.5 million lawsuit

Published 10:03 am Thursday, August 22, 2024

The damaging effects of sea salt, constant winds and fierce winter storms can make maintaining any Oregon Coast property a real chore.

But seagull droppings? Don’t forget to add that one to the list.

A pair of international companies — Wyndham Resort Development Corp. and WorldMark, The Club — filed a lawsuit in August seeking $2.5 million from a Eugene window-washing and roof-cleaning company that they say ruined the roofs on 12 of the buildings at one of their resorts, WorldMark Depoe Bay, as the company blasted seagull droppings from the resort’s exterior.

The sprawling, quarter-mile-long oceanfront complex features upscale timeshare condos with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and is about a 2½ hour drive southwest of Portland. The resort features a waterfront basketball court, a tennis court and indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs.

But, as the suit points out, there is an ever-present issue that must be addressed.

“Every year, the seagull mating and nesting cycle results in large numbers of seagulls landing and nesting on the roofs of the twelve buildings that make up the property,” states the suit. And, the suit continues: “Due to the large number of seagulls in the general area and their apparent desire to land on the roofs of (the resort’s) buildings, large amounts of seagull fecal matter accumulate.”

That led the company to hire Cutting Edge Window Cleaning Services starting in 2018 and then every year after, according to the lawsuit. But the suit alleges workers stepped on parts of the roofs they were told not to and blasted off the seagull droppings with pressure washing sprays that were far too powerful — resulting in the need to repair some rooftops and completely replace others.

Representatives from Cutting Edge didn’t return a request for comment. But the company has garnered sterling reviews — nearly 200 of them averaging 4.8 out of 5 stars on Google.

WorldMark Depoe Bay, too, has gained a good reputation with 4.6 out of 5 stars from nearly 1,500 critiques on Google.

The presence of birds and their poop, however, have cropped up in a few reviews.

“Beautiful place to relax and watch birds,” read one, adding “there are thousands of them on the rocks along shore lines.”

Wrote another: “Could not play basketball all weekend as court was covered in bird droppings.”

And another: “Our room was clean, but the windows and patio were well decorated by the seagulls.”

The suit was filed Aug. 20 in Lincoln County Circuit Court.

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