The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors got an earful about building and construction at its Tuesday meeting. In addition to approving an ordinance to update building codes, the board heard from a business owner who has issues of her own about permits.

Su Carney, who owns Yosemite Gifts in downtown Mariposa, said she has been dealing with Helen Kwalwasser’s problems at the Gold Coin building for three years. She told the board there were improper permits, lots of miscommunication and no equity in the way the two business owners were being treated.

The whole thing has to deal with a common wall between the buildings. Kwalwasser was having some construction work done back in 2007, and Carney said it damaged the wall, making her business unsafe. She reported the issue to the building department, and was subsequently shut down for a period last summer. “I panicked,” she said. “I wanted to know that my building was safe.”

Thus began a series of meetings that Carney says have yielded zero results. “I didn’t want to be closed down,” she said. “But safety was of utmost importance.”

She said various engineers and inspectors have deemed Yosemite Gifts safe. Most recently, she said, an engineer told her he couldn’t believe the wall on the Gold Coin side had not been fixed. She called the building department again and was told that Kwalwasser had until Oct. 31 to complete the repair. Still, it is not done.

“Nobody ever came,” Carney told the board. “Nobody ever checked on that building. It’s been three years. I’d like to know how much longer this can go on.”

Carney said she has followed all the rules and wants to be treated fairly. She said the building department told her that the board was meeting with Kwalwasser to rectify the situation. She was not invited to the alleged meetings.

Supervisors Kevin Cann, Jim Allen and Janet Bibby were quick to explain that there had been no such meeting. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” Cann said about the meeting. “I haven’t had any meetings.”

Allen concurred. “The meeting did not occur,” he said. “That is the truth. There wasn’t a meeting.” Bibby agreed that the board had not had personal or telephone contact with Kwalwasser about the issue. The building department did not respond to the allegations.