Why the City Council decided, without asking anyone, that they could go forth, tear out 14 old growth trees, dig a huge 10' wide trench, and a bypass pipe that would no longer supply the reservoirs with our drinking water (or any water). Well, thank you to City Commissioner Amanda Fritz for making this meeting possible.Now, as she points out, there will be bureaucracy to follow - a historic landmarks review commission, the Bureau of Development Services. A formal process, and if it is referred to the City Council, 4 of 5 members have to say 'no' to this large and destructive process for it to not go forward.
An outcome of citizen involvement is that the City has now put forward alternatives to the 'base' approach, some of which cost money, but do not involve tearing out 14 old growth trees. There is apparently a "tree mitigation" process, where 1" diameter of removed tree has to be replaced by 1" of planted tree. Well, I'm sorry, but 496 1" trees do not make up for a 400 year old Douglas fir.
I am less convinced about needing to drink water from the reservoir, but I do want to save the trees, the historic structures, and the park as public property. See www.mttaborpdx.org for more on all this. By July they will probably make a decision.
