As the 60-mile main natural gas pipeline from Roseburg to Coos Bay nears completion, the Coos County Board of Commissioners should be celebrating the prospect of infrastructure that could lure new industry and jobs to the area.

Instead, the county is mired in two lawsuits, several permit violations and continued public outcry that has surrounded the project since its ground-breaking in July 2003.

And while some officials say the problems aren't out of scope for the project of that size, others say pipeline installation has been so botched that it's unlikely gas will flow without millions of dollars of repairs.

According to Coos County Commissioner Nikki Whitty, the main line is 90 to 95 percent complete, but lateral work to Myrtle Point and Bandon has stopped, partly because much of the route is flooded.

Gate stations and valves need to be constructed and three to four bridge crossings need to be completed on the main line before it can be tested and deemed functional, Whitty said, adding that she's not sure of a timeline, which depends on weather and the issuance of in-water work permits.

Lateral work depends on how quickly the wetland areas dry out.

"We just don't know yet," Whitty said.

Cal Grimmer, NW Natural South Coast district manager, has said gas could flow as early as spring on the mainline to Coos Bay.

"We've had our inspector on the job the entire time and we're satisfied with the work," Grimmer said.

NW Natural is constructing the gas pipeline within Coos Bay and North Bend and the cities of Coquille, Myrtle Point and, possibly, Bandon. Grimmer said the 12-inch lines within Coos Bay and North Bend are almost complete.

Henkels & McCoy, contractors hired by NW Natural to build the pipeline within those cities, is working on Ocean Boulevard to run the pipeline to the Coos Bay/North Bend Water Board property, where it will connect with the county's main pipeline.

Henkels & McCoy's work has caused some city residents to grumble about delays and detours. (See "Detours, reroutes," Page A6.)

The pipeline crossing Coos Bay to extend gas to the North Spit also is under the purview of NW Natural. Grimmer said he doesn't know when that portion of the work will be completed.

There's more to be done than installing pipe, however.

Road conditions in Dora, Sitkum, Fairview and along Coos Bay Wagon Road have been a major irritant with residents, who have complained of the dangers as well as the inconvenience caused by pipeline construction.

"They have a ton of cleanup to do," admitted Whitty, who has acted as a liaison between the project and the community.

The county budgeted $4 million of the $43-million project for roads, she said. (See "Temporary patches," Page A6.)

But Del Knight, a Myrtle Point resident and former logger who is president of the Coos County Coalition, a citizen group formed to address perceived problems with pipeline construction, said the roads are just some of the problems.

Knight is a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in October 2003 against MasTec Inc., the contractor hired by the county to construct the pipeline. (See "Residents wonder," Page A1.)

Fallout from violations continues, according to members of the Coos County Coalition. In several areas, trenching done by MasTec crews have destabilized the Bonneville Power Administration rights of way, according to Knight.

BPA project manager Donovan Kauffman of Vancouver, Wash., who was hired to oversee safety and reliability of BPA's power lines during the pipeline construction, said Thursday the company is satisfied with MasTec's work.

"We feel there are no safety hazards due to pipeline construction," Kauffman said.

Kauffman said one wooden power pole was moved after the pipeline was put in because of slope stability concerns, but added that while not common, it's not an unusual practice.

"It wasn't the result of anything," Kauffman said. "We do it sometimes after loggers have been in the area."

Knight asserts the violations have continued, even after lawsuits and cease and desist orders were filed. Loggers also have been affected by the road conditions, he said.

But Whitty said the roads are being done as fast as possible, as weather permits.

"The problem with paving is there's certain things that you can't do in the rain," Whitty said. "I know the roads are worse because of the project, but some of our county roads are a mess every year. That's not to say everyone doesn't have my sympathy, because they do."

County crews are overwhelmed, working with a crew of 44 and antiquated equipment, according to Commissioner Gordon Ross.

Whitty said she is as frustrated as anyone with the continued problems related to pipeline construction and said the controversy is getting personal.

"The rumors are flying," she said. "And some of them are really bizarre."

For example, Whitty said people have been told she was promised a lucrative job at NW Natural once the pipeline was completed.

"That's not true," Whitty said. "I was so upset when I heard it. NW Natural has the highest ethical standards and they would never stoop to anything like that and neither would I."

Knight agrees that the project has gotten personal.

"I don't know how many times I've cried over this," he said Wednesday near his rural home. "It's just so frustrating and in my face."

Knight and others he said are afraid to come forward, are upset by what they say are continued violations by MasTec. The Coos County Coalition intends to see the lawsuit to its conclusion, he said.

"MasTec wanted to talk with us and see if they could settle," Knight said. "But we intend to prosecute all these people to the full extent of the law. We want to bring (the violations) completely to light."

"The regulatory agencies sat on it so long," Knight added. "We gave them information in August and they were just out here this month. What good does that do the environment?"

Randy Knop, a union representative who works with the pipeline industry, said the bottom line is that MasTec needs to be held accountable.

Coos County pipeline advisers, on the other hand, have said the union is holding the project under a microscope because the county hired a non-union company to do the work.

Meanwhile, only a few MasTec crews remain in the area and the company has moved its headquarters from the old Georgia-Pacific Mill site to an area east on Highway 42 near Norway.

Whitty said she tries to remain optimistic about an undertaking that has proved to be more stressful than she ever imagined.

The pipeline project, which was originally estimated to take 21 months, has dragged on for more than three years, she said.

"In Oregon, we've never had a public entity try to do a project like this," Whitty said. "and we've never had a project this tough."

There were challenges unique to this state that made the job more difficult, she said. Just keeping track of the multiple agencies that required permits was one big problem, Whitty said, because frequently the agencies don't work together so there is little communication.

"I think maybe we'll learn a good deal about this," Whitty said, "and about how Oregon needs to make it easier to put infrastructure in," she said.