Cottonwood man takes matters into own hands, cuts down gate he claims blocked public road

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Cottonwood man takes matters into own hands, cuts down gate he claims blocked public road

The dispute over Farquhar Road ― and the gate that blocks it ― entered a new phase this month.

Bill Poland of Cottonwood has been trying for three-and-a-half years to get a gate removed from the rural dirt road in Northern Tehama County, claiming the gate was blocking access to a public road. He even sued Tehama County officials this year to get the gate taken down.

But Poland has faced stiff opposition to removing the gate from neighbors and Tehama County officials.

Last week Poland took matters into his own hands and removed the gate. On July 25, he took an electric saw to the large, steel pipe gate and cut it off at both ends.

Removing the gate would provide access to nearby Cottonwood Creek and give ***** crews access to the area if a blaze broke out. It would also give residents an evacuation route from the area in case of a *****, Poland said.

Poland said he cannot get to the creek because the gate blocked the road. “I can’t even put my boat in it anymore, which I could put my little aluminum boat in here and fish (before). Now they put this gate up, which is the last place you could actually enter the creek,” he said.

Farquhar Road is off Bowman Road, about 9 miles west of Interstate 5. The gate was less than a quarter of a mile north of Bowman Road. Beyond the gate, a rutted path overgrown with weeds leads down to the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek a couple hundred yards away.

County Supervisor-elect Rob Burroughs, who will represent the area on the Board of Supervisors beginning next year, helped Poland remove the gate. The two moved a pile of sticks, wire fencing and two large oak logs that had been placed in front of the gate out of the way.

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Bill Poland of Cottonwood cut down a gate on Farquhar Road in Cottonwood on Thursday, July 25, 2024.

Poland’s wife, Veronica, said there were other issues to consider beyond the public safety and access. She wondered whether residents would block other roads throughout the county. “It sets a bad precedent for everybody else,” Veronica Poland said.

Neighbors allege tresspassing

But not everyone agrees with the Polands. Shortly after the gate and its lock were cut, a neighbor confronted the Polands and Burroughs, claiming they were tresspassing and breaking the law by cutting the gate down.

A woman who declined to provide her name demanded the Polands and Burroughs leave. She said she also called the sheriff’s office to file a report.

The woman said that removing the gate would allow people to drive down the hill toward the creek, creating a ***** hazard and ****** risk.

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County Supervisor Bill Moule, who represents the area until his term is up in January, agreed that Poland should not have cut the gate open.

“Number one, I don’t care whose property it is, if it’s not yours, you can’t ruin it, or deface it, or steal it. That’s a ******,” Moule said.

“It doesn’t belong to the guy that cut it down. What’s he thinking? I mean, he’s actually committing a ******. I mean, how smart do you have to be to know you can’t deface somebody else’s property? Even if you don’t like it?” Moule said.

He said the road had been abandoned by the county, but still disagreed Poland had a right to cut down the gate. County Building Official Eduardo Griego said he did not know the ownership status of the road, but said he did not have a record of anyone obtaining a permit to install the gate.

Moule also disagreed that it was necessary to remove the gate to improve access to the area for ***** crews or to provide an evacuation route.

Burroughs said he understands why neighbors would be concerned about people driving down the road past the gate, but that gating it off is not the answer.

“The whole thing is, is that nobody has the right to block a public road. It doesn’t matter who you are, because it’s the taxpayers’ road. All of the taxpayers have a right to travel on that road. Or one or two concerned individuals that want to be selfish and block the road off, they might have a good idea, but that does not give them the right to block that road off,” Burroughs said.

While the two sides disagree over whether putting up a barrier is legal and necessary, the clash over the gate did not appear to be over.

The neighbor who confronted Poland on Thursday said she plans to fix the gate and close it.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at *****@*****.tld and on X, formerly known as

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