MOORPARK : Firm, County in Dispute Over Dirt

The problem was a pile of dirt.

Kavlico Corp., a Moorpark manufacturer of automotive and aerospace parts, called the Ventura County sheriff’s office recently to report that a county contractor was removing dirt from company property.

Kavlico had agreed to let the county move up to 30,000 cubic yards of dirt from its property at Condor Drive and Los Angeles Avenue as part of a county flood control project, company spokesman Bruce Tackman said.

But company officials became upset when the county contractor began taking Kavlico’s dirt across Los Angeles Avenue for filling in another site.

Tackman estimated that at least 2,000 cubic yards of soil was taken from the company’s property.

The county’s director of public works, Alex Sheydahl, said the county needed the dirt, and efforts to reach company officials were unsuccessful.

The company’s complaint caused it even more trouble.

When city officials were contacted about the dispute, they realized that neither the county nor Kavlico had obtained a permit for the grading.

The city immediately ordered all work to be stopped until a permit is issued, Assistant City Engineer Dirk Lovett said.

Kavlico officials are applying for a grading permit and have met with county flood control officials but have not yet resolved their differences.