Tuesday, July 20, 2010
....The t-shirts are ready....
....We have t-shirts for sale to promote our cause..They are 8.00 and 10.00 ( for xl sizes). They have the web site on the back and our new logo on the front..To order just send me an e-mail to OrMaggie77@aol.com and tell me what sizes and how many you would like and we will get them out to you right away if you are local..We will also mail you one if you are from far away..We just have to add the postage..Thanks everybody..
Sunday, July 18, 2010
....Questions for the County.??.
..This is the Yamhill County Tax Lot Map. You can see how large lot 5326-600 is. I live on tax lot #5326-700, so you can see why I oppose this zone change from Goal 3 farm use to Goal 5 mineral use. Also note the boundary lines for the tax lots. Do you see the lot next to #5326-600, the one without any lot #.? Do you also notice that this land is being farmed.? Being rented out by Baker Rock to a farmer, with no tax-lot, does this mean that Baker Rock is paying taxes on 174 acres but renting out more.? I don't know, maybe you should ask the County.? I got these photo's from Yamhill County's Planning Dept.'s web site.
....Dayton Car Show....
....The Veterans are hosting a BBQ and Car Show in the Dayton City Park today from 10-3..Please come out and support our Vets..Also look up Keely as she is taking pre-orders for our t-shirts..Thanks..
....Update..
....There will be no Community Meeting this week do to various family vacations,ect..The next meeting will go on as planned..July 28th at 7PM at the Unionvale Church..7 miles south of Dayton on Wallace Road..We hope to see you there..
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
..Latest Update..
..It's seems as soon as the Commissioners hearing was scheduled for the Baker Rock Mining application, it has now been cancelled and is set to be held "sometime" in September. We don't have a date yet, and really no explanation as to why it has been postponed. This doesn't mean that we can rest in our war,this just gives us more time to prepare for the battle. We are not going to sit by and let Baker Rock or Yamhill County treat us like our lives and homes and farms don't matter. We need to intensify our efforts in sending letters, e-mails and phone calls to let our elected officials know that enough is enough. We will no longer stand by and let them make decisions that effect peoples lives without thinking or caring. Every taxpayer in Yamhill County has a stake in this fight. You will be the ones to pay for the repair of our roads and the replacement of our bridge. You will bare the cost of rising food prices when there is no longer anymore local farms to grow and supply your food. We Islanders invite you to come out and drive to the southern end and see for yourselves just how large this piece of Prime Willamette Valley farmland is that Baker Rock wants to gobble up. And don't forget to write your letters, make the phone calls, send your e-mails and let our commissioners know that we care, even if they don't.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Update on Tonights Community Meeting
Joining us for our meeting were Rep. Jim Weider, who attended so that he could learn more about the serious issuses we Grand Islanders are facing. Rep. Weidner, who grew up in Yamhill county and stated he had spent alot of time on the Island in his youth also took a short tour of the Island after the meeting was over. Also attending were his chief-of-staff and Mary Starrett, who is running for Yamhill County Commissioner in November. Mary has been interested in our plight for some time now.We were glad to have them all join us. The group discussed ways to promote our cause. Neil made a great flyer and Katie had the postcards ready, along with the stamps to mail them with. If anyone wants any flyers to pass out let me know and I will get them to you. Also contact Katie for the postcards. If you would like a 2 square foot magnetized sign for your car or pickup or tractor the cost is $10. Beth is taking care of that. We also discussed having t-shirts made for people to wear at the Commissioners Hearing.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
....The Record Has Been Opened....
Yamhill County Commissioners have opened the Record and are now accepting letters and written comments concerning the Baker Rock Mining Permit. Baker Rock wants a zoning change to be allowed to open a third gravel pit on 174 acres on Grand Island. Let your voice be heard on this important issue..Please write to our commissioners.. Mary Stern..Leslie Lewis..Kathy George..Submit written testimony to the Yamhill County Planning Department (525 NE 4th St, McMinnville, OR 97128) — remember to reference the quarry application number: PAZ-01-10/WRG-01-10..We are also holding another Community Meeting on Wed. July 7th, 7PM at the Unionvale Countryside Church on Wallace Rd. 7 miles south of Dayton. Mary Starrett will be joining us for this meeting..
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Grand Islanders raise rock quarry concerns
By HANNAH HOFFMAN
of the News-Register
Much of the testimony against Baker Rock's proposal to mine gravel on Grand Island spoke to the power of the Willamette River: the power to flood, to shift, to surprise.
But that Baker Rock proposal has shown a power of it's own; to unite, to light a fire of opposition.
Members of the Grand island, Dayton, and Unionvale communities met Wednesday at the Unionvale Countryside Church to discuss the possibility of a gravel quarry on the Island and what that could mean for their farms.
The event was organized by farmer Sam Sweeney, a member of the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District; Ron Schindler, a Grand Island organic farmer; and Kris Bledsoe, Grand Island resident and chair of the Yamhill Basin Council.
More than 40 people, who ranged from seasoned old-timers to Casey and Katie Culla's son, Rusty, about 6 months old, to everyone in between. Politicians from both sides of the aisle were represented and Jim Johnson came from the state Department of Agriculture to discuss the issues surrounding gravel mines on farmland.
Citizens concerns varied but touched on common issues. Many worried about traffic. They said gravel trucks would clog the narrow Island roads and damage the already-worn bridge that connect the Island with the rest of Yamhill County.
Island residents said they had always considered their community a safe place for children to play and people to walk, but intense quarry traffic would jeopardize that peace. They said the narrow bridges particularly worried them.
Baker Rock had proposed putting up "narrow bridge" signs, which complies with the Oregon law, but most residents said that wouldn't be enough to eliminate safety hazards.
Water also raised concerns.Some people said the mining operations could draw down the groundwater table that provides the well water.Others worried mining could exacerbate the prevalent flooding on the Island.
Baker Rock hired Colorado geomorphologist Chris Lidstone,who testified at the May and June Planning Commission meetings and said neither groundwater levels or flooding patterns would be affected.He said the mine was designed to work with the existing water behavior,not change it.
But the most overwhelming concern was the cumulative impact an approval of the application could create.Another quarry,owned by Bernert Towing,was approved on the Island in 2004,and citizens worried that the entire Island would systematically be taken over by quarries.Gravel deposits likely exist under the entire land mass.
Johnson,who has worked in land use planning for 30 years said the number od acres of farmland in the Willamette valley shrinks every year.He said gravel quarries have a lagal advantage over other uses when it comes to taking a plot of farmland.
Most applicants seeking to rezone cultivated Exclusive Farm Use tracts need to justify an exception to Goal Three,the farmland protection goal in Oregon land use guidelines.And Goal Three exceptions are hard to come by.
But that won't be the case here,as mining fulfills another of Oregon's land use planning goals-Goal Five_which encourages development of mineral and aggregate resources.
However,Johnson told the crowd to keep fighting.He cited a 2003 case in Lane County in which the Lane County commissioners denied a gravel quarry based on it's potential negative impacts to farming.
Lane county Assistant County Counsel Stephen Vorhes said the farmers in that case were very organized.He said they brought in experts,economists from the University of Oregon and two lawyers to argue the case.
Vorhes said the expert testimony ultimately swayed the Lane County commission.
Johnson encouraged the crowd emphatically."You can win this," he said.He said the land use process is as much political as legal.
Bledsoe said it was "probably guaranteed" commissioners Kathy George and Leslie Lewis would vote in favor of the quarry.She said both have received campaign donations from Meisel Rock Products.
Bledsoe lost campaign bids against both Lewis and George in 2008 and 2010,respectively.
But the rest of the political clout in the county seems to be falling on the side of the Grand Island farmers.
Rep. Jim Weidner,R-Yamhill,whose chief of staff attended Wednesday's meeting,said,"I'm concerned about the impact on available farm land,the property rights of existing operating farms in close proximity to the proposed mine location,and the strain placed upon the bridge by large truck traffic.
His oppnent,winemaker and Democrat Susan Sokol Blosser,attended the meeting and said she fully supports the farmer's cause.
"The cornucopia of diverse crops on the Island represent the future of our local agriculture and present an opportunity for new families to grow the fruits and vegetables that are the bounty of our county,"she said."There are other places that gravel pits can go.There is only one Grand Island."
County commissioner candidate Mary Starrett said she hasn't made up her mind about the application.She said she has talked to county Planning Director Mike Brandt and understands the facts of the case.She said she realizes the need for gravel,but also has serious concerns about the quarry's impacts on traffic,quality of life and the neighbors ability to farm.
Her opponent Mary Stern,could not comment because the application will soon appear in front of her,George and Lewis in a quasi-judicial capacity.
The next morning after digesting everything discussed at Wednesday's meeting,event organizer Sweeney summed it up this way:
"To see their Island carted away in large,noisy,belly dump trucks is a horrible thought.But also to realize that their families and livelihood will be altered forever by a consumptive industry only caring about it's bottom line is angering,frightening and devastating."
of the News-Register
Much of the testimony against Baker Rock's proposal to mine gravel on Grand Island spoke to the power of the Willamette River: the power to flood, to shift, to surprise.
But that Baker Rock proposal has shown a power of it's own; to unite, to light a fire of opposition.
Members of the Grand island, Dayton, and Unionvale communities met Wednesday at the Unionvale Countryside Church to discuss the possibility of a gravel quarry on the Island and what that could mean for their farms.
The event was organized by farmer Sam Sweeney, a member of the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District; Ron Schindler, a Grand Island organic farmer; and Kris Bledsoe, Grand Island resident and chair of the Yamhill Basin Council.
More than 40 people, who ranged from seasoned old-timers to Casey and Katie Culla's son, Rusty, about 6 months old, to everyone in between. Politicians from both sides of the aisle were represented and Jim Johnson came from the state Department of Agriculture to discuss the issues surrounding gravel mines on farmland.
Citizens concerns varied but touched on common issues. Many worried about traffic. They said gravel trucks would clog the narrow Island roads and damage the already-worn bridge that connect the Island with the rest of Yamhill County.
Island residents said they had always considered their community a safe place for children to play and people to walk, but intense quarry traffic would jeopardize that peace. They said the narrow bridges particularly worried them.
Baker Rock had proposed putting up "narrow bridge" signs, which complies with the Oregon law, but most residents said that wouldn't be enough to eliminate safety hazards.
Water also raised concerns.Some people said the mining operations could draw down the groundwater table that provides the well water.Others worried mining could exacerbate the prevalent flooding on the Island.
Baker Rock hired Colorado geomorphologist Chris Lidstone,who testified at the May and June Planning Commission meetings and said neither groundwater levels or flooding patterns would be affected.He said the mine was designed to work with the existing water behavior,not change it.
But the most overwhelming concern was the cumulative impact an approval of the application could create.Another quarry,owned by Bernert Towing,was approved on the Island in 2004,and citizens worried that the entire Island would systematically be taken over by quarries.Gravel deposits likely exist under the entire land mass.
Johnson,who has worked in land use planning for 30 years said the number od acres of farmland in the Willamette valley shrinks every year.He said gravel quarries have a lagal advantage over other uses when it comes to taking a plot of farmland.
Most applicants seeking to rezone cultivated Exclusive Farm Use tracts need to justify an exception to Goal Three,the farmland protection goal in Oregon land use guidelines.And Goal Three exceptions are hard to come by.
But that won't be the case here,as mining fulfills another of Oregon's land use planning goals-Goal Five_which encourages development of mineral and aggregate resources.
However,Johnson told the crowd to keep fighting.He cited a 2003 case in Lane County in which the Lane County commissioners denied a gravel quarry based on it's potential negative impacts to farming.
Lane county Assistant County Counsel Stephen Vorhes said the farmers in that case were very organized.He said they brought in experts,economists from the University of Oregon and two lawyers to argue the case.
Vorhes said the expert testimony ultimately swayed the Lane County commission.
Johnson encouraged the crowd emphatically."You can win this," he said.He said the land use process is as much political as legal.
Bledsoe said it was "probably guaranteed" commissioners Kathy George and Leslie Lewis would vote in favor of the quarry.She said both have received campaign donations from Meisel Rock Products.
Bledsoe lost campaign bids against both Lewis and George in 2008 and 2010,respectively.
But the rest of the political clout in the county seems to be falling on the side of the Grand Island farmers.
Rep. Jim Weidner,R-Yamhill,whose chief of staff attended Wednesday's meeting,said,"I'm concerned about the impact on available farm land,the property rights of existing operating farms in close proximity to the proposed mine location,and the strain placed upon the bridge by large truck traffic.
His oppnent,winemaker and Democrat Susan Sokol Blosser,attended the meeting and said she fully supports the farmer's cause.
"The cornucopia of diverse crops on the Island represent the future of our local agriculture and present an opportunity for new families to grow the fruits and vegetables that are the bounty of our county,"she said."There are other places that gravel pits can go.There is only one Grand Island."
County commissioner candidate Mary Starrett said she hasn't made up her mind about the application.She said she has talked to county Planning Director Mike Brandt and understands the facts of the case.She said she realizes the need for gravel,but also has serious concerns about the quarry's impacts on traffic,quality of life and the neighbors ability to farm.
Her opponent Mary Stern,could not comment because the application will soon appear in front of her,George and Lewis in a quasi-judicial capacity.
The next morning after digesting everything discussed at Wednesday's meeting,event organizer Sweeney summed it up this way:
"To see their Island carted away in large,noisy,belly dump trucks is a horrible thought.But also to realize that their families and livelihood will be altered forever by a consumptive industry only caring about it's bottom line is angering,frightening and devastating."
Friday, July 2, 2010
..The Record has Been Reopened..
....Yamhill County Commissioners have opened the Record and are now accepting letters and written comments concerning the Baker Rock Mining Permit. Baker Rock wants a zoning change to be allowed to open a third gravel pit on 174 acres on Grand Island. Let your voice be heard on this important issue..Please write to our commissioners.. Mary Stern..Leslie Lewis..Kathy George..Submit written testimony to the Yamhill County Planning Department (525 NE 4th St, McMinnville, OR 97128) — remember to reference the quarry application number: PAZ-01-10/WRG-01-10..We are also holding another Community Meeting on Wed. July 7th, 7PM at the Unionvale Countryside Church on Wallace Rd. 7 miles south of Dayton. Mary Starrett will be joining us for this meeting..
Thursday, July 1, 2010
....Bravo To The Yamhill County Planning Board....
..The Planning Board of Yamhill County voted 5-2 this evening to deny Baker Rock's app to mine gravel on Grand Island..They sited various reasons for going against the advice of the planning staff which was to approve the permit.. They showed great courage and wisdom in taking all the evidence into consideration before casting their votes..We here on Grand Island and the surrounding community wish to thank them for their fairness and attention to this very important matter..This however is just the first step in the process, we still have to go before the commissioners and plead our case..We are prepared to fight this to the end, doing whatever is necessary to stop this continued destruction of our Willamette Valley farmland....
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