Temporary reprieve on Minto

The five members attending the City Council meeting tonight unanimously voted not to accept the federal easement proposal to lock up 200 acres of cultivated land in Minto Brown Island Park.

Naturally this means that we can expect staff to honor the wisdom of Mark Twain by proving him an acute observer of human nature when he observed that "Having lost our bearings, we redoubled our efforts." Having had to concede repeatedly that the public involvement for this idea was lousy, the plan is to ram through a motion to reconsider and pass the thing with no further public involvement in two weeks, should the feds permit yet another extension (which, if they do, only shows that they want this much more than the people of Salem do).

In other words, the betting is that staff and some of the Council members will push hard to have the Council to entertain a motion for reconsideration in two weeks, meaning that the 5-0 vote to reject the easement only means that the people advocating for the easement want a do-over ....

Tonight city staff admitted that the contract for the easement gives total control of the parkland's future to the feds, that none of the sweet whispers about working with the city are in writing, and that the whole emergency floodplain easement program is not really a good fit for a public park. Nonetheless, expect a full-court press to get this thing jammed through at the last minute, public sentiment be damned.

Word of the Day: Continued

"But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. A bad usage can spread by tradition and imitation even among people who should and do know better." George Orwell (Eric Blair) Image by jovike via Flickr

Since the current Minto-Brown Park Master Plan --- the one that the Salem City Council adopted in 1995 after lengthy public involvement and participation -- expressly states that agriculture within the park is appropriate and should be continued, let's see what that word means:

con·tin·ue (kn-tny)

v. con·tin·ued, con·tin·u·ing, con·tin·ues

v.intr.

1. To go on with a particular action or in a particular condition; persist.

2. To exist over a prolonged period; last.

3. To remain in the same state, capacity, or place: She continued as mayor for a second term.

4. To go on after an interruption; resume: The negotiations continued after a break for lunch.

v.tr.

1. To carry forward; persist in: The police will continue their investigation.

2. To carry further in time, space, or development; extend.

3. To cause to remain or last; retain.

4. To carry on after an interruption; resume.

5. Law To postpone or adjourn.

And since the proposal to sell off control of 200 acres of that land would reduce acreage being farmed in the park by about 80%, let's consider that whether that could possibly satisfy the meaning of continue:

re·duce (r-ds, -dys)

v. re·duced, re·duc·ing, re·duc·es

v.tr.

1. To bring down, as in extent, amount, or degree; diminish. See Synonyms at decrease.

2. To bring to a humbler, weaker, difficult, or forced state or condition; especially:

a. To gain control of; conquer: "a design to reduce them under absolute despotism" (Declaration of Independence).

b. To subject to destruction: Enemy bombers reduced the city to rubble.

c. To weaken bodily: was reduced almost to emaciation.

d. To sap the spirit or mental energy of.

e. To compel to desperate acts: The Depression reduced many to begging on street corners.

f. To lower in rank or grade. See Synonyms at demote.

g. To powder or pulverize.

h. To thin (paint) with a solvent.

3. To lower the price of: The store has drastically reduced winter coats.

4. To put in order or arrange systematically.

5. To separate into orderly components by analysis.

6. Chemistry

a. To decrease the valence of (an atom) by adding electrons.

b. To remove oxygen from (a compound).

c. To add hydrogen to (a compound).

d. To change to a metallic state by removing nonmetallic constituents; smelt.

7. Mathematics To simplify the form of (an expression, such as a fraction) without changing the value.

8. Medicine To restore (a fractured or displaced body part) to a normal condition or position.

v.intr.

1. To become diminished.

2. To lose weight, as by dieting.

3. Biology To undergo meiosis.

Nope. As they say on Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the other." In this case, it's more like NONE of these things is like ANY of the others.

Thus, when people try to argue that it's ok to prohibit growing food on four-fifths of the land now being farmed in the park because ag wouldn't be barred from 100% of the cropland, they are trying to twist the meaning of the words, which is generally a dead giveaway to something not being kosher.

There are some good arguments for the easement deal, and more good arguments against it. One of the most compelling arguments against this deal at this time is that it completely guts the park Master Plan, which is essentially the guidance we the people of Salem gave to city government for how to care for our treasured possession, Minto-Brown Island Park. If the City Council ignores the plain, clear language of the master plan, they are essentially saying that no one can rely on any of the planning documents that the city prepares, even the ones specifically adopted by the council.

Ask yourself -- if the shoe were on the other foot and the city staff were alarmed by some proposed action of the state or federal government, would the city say "Hey, no need to follow any plans developed with our participation ... go ahead and do what you think is best."

Imagine the ag land on Minto helping keep us healthy and fed

Image via Wikipedia

One of the main arguments against kicking agriculture off 200 acres on Minto Brown is that we would do so today -- forever -- in the face of a huge and fast-growing mountain of evidence that all is not well with our food systems, which have basically become entirely dependent on a copious supply of fossil fuels and a finance system that selects for megafarms that require megaprofits -- meaning producing the cheapest possible food and shipping it a long way.

Here's a great article from todays NY Times calling for a rebirth of the agricultural extension service to help people all over the country select and breed plant varieties appropriate for their particularly place.

If we reject this "Rush, rush!" deal and think carefully, we can, if we wish, restore hundreds of acres on Minto Brown Island AND preserve its rich heritage as an agricultural place; we can convert those acres, one at a time if need be, to organic production and community gardens, with community supported agriculture operations to find which perennial vegetables, to name just one example, are most suitable for this area. We can, in short, act with caution, rather than making an irrevocable commitment of land to a particular (if not particularly well-fleshed out) use.

None of this is possible under the terms of the proposed easement. Instead, just as we will be needing MORE local food for more people, we're talking about reducing ag acreage that is perfectly situated on land we already own.

On a happier note

Instead of reducing precious farmland within the urban growth boundary, let's get rid of some asphalt! Image by BikePortland.org via Flickr

This is awesome.

P.S. If you don't know why we need land for growing food a lot more than asphalt, here's a pretty good primer.

Why we won't miss the Statesman-Journal when it follows the Seattle P-I and Rocky Mountain Daily News

Coming soon to Salem. Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Wow. Just wow. We hear a lot about the collapse of the "mainstream media" and how their advertising revenue is eroding almost as fast as their subscriber base. You wonder if you should be concerned, but then you hit on a "story" like this and you know that, like the dinosaurs they are so often compared to, their disappearance will make room for much smarter, nimbler species.

Recently, misinformation about the proposal began to surface, prompting the city to set up a Q&A document on its Web site.

Too bad the cliched, passive-voice-adopting SJ doesn't bother letting people know what "misinformation" has "surfaced" (which way to the beach?) out there, nor do they bother examining any of the statements in the city's "Q&A" document.

Back when newspapers mattered, editors told reporters to trust no one, particularly if they stood to gain from a certain outcome. "If your mother says she loves you, check it out" was the rule. Now it's "If a bureaucratic official says something, just copy it down and run it."

Words alone not enough to describe the proposal to sell off local control of Minto-Brown Park

Not much time left -- spread the word! Help wake people up to this strange, quietly handled deal.

Even if you like the underlying proposal, you should be appalled that the city would enter a deal of this magnitude with so little (essentially no) public involvement and awareness.

I guarantee you that if the Salem Parks and Recreation Advisory Board had recommended the staff proposal, the city staff would be trumpeting that at the top of every page and the start of every presentation. Instead, the SPRAB --- citizen-volunteers appointed by the city council --- unanimously voted to recommend that the city NOT sell these easements. So, poof, it's like it never happened and city staff never mentions the SPRAB anymore.

One of the most troubling things is that several citizens who support the easements idea are dismissing the importance of the Minto-Brown Park Master Plan, which calls for agriculture to be continued in the park. This is at the same time that the city has been working to revise the Parks Master Plan since 2008. Why bother? Why spend staff time and effort on master plans if we ignore them the instant someone offers us some money, even when they want to make us do something that is nowhere mentioned in the master plan?

Don't these citizens they realize how crucial it is for environmental advocates to insist that Salem respect and follow adopted master plans? Without that, it's "anything goes" in terms of development proposals.

Indeed, several easement advocates are arguing that we should ignore the plan because "the master plan is just a plan" and is somehow not a serious commitment or binding obligation. But if so, then citizens really need to know: What other plans has the City adopted that it doesn't really intend to follow? Do we have to start asking Council to make a "pinkie promise" to follow a master plan that they adopt when they're actually planning on taking it seriously? Is the city willing to post a list of all the current council-adopted plans that it doesn't intend to be bound by?

Along those lines, city staff claims that booting agriculture off 80% of the farmed land in the park still complies with the master plan (which specifically notes that agriculture is a benefit to the park and should be continued) because locking up 80% of the farmed acreage is less than 100%, so agriculture IS continuing. Ho ho!

If Council buys that argument and sells off these easements then we should "continue" the Public Works Department likewise by reducing its budget by 80%. After all, if city staff don't see a difference between "continuing" something and reducing it by 80% then we've definitely got an opportunity for some real savings there.

Preparing for the future: OSU Home Horticulturist/Master Gardener Online Course Forming

Click big orange OSU for full description.

Greetings to those interested in the Master Gardener™ Online basic training course! We are happy to inform you that Registration is now open for Option 1: Online Course Only to earn your certificate of home horticulture. The online course, which runs from Sept. 7 - Dec. 14, 2009, does not require any on-site volunteer hours and can be completed conveniently from your own home. Please note that space in this online class is limited to 75 individuals. Submit your registration form and payment as soon as possible to ensure your spot in the fall class. You will receive confirmation that you are registered once we have received your payment for the course. If you are interested in earning your Master Gardener™ badge, you will want to explore Option 2: Online Course and Volunteering, which begins January 2010. This option includes the online Master Gardener™ basic training course and will require participants to complete volunteer hours at their local OSU Extension office in order to become a certified OSU Master Gardener™. We will alert you via email when registration opens for this option. Feel free to contact us if you have questions about registering. Or, visit theMaster Gardener™ Online web pages for more details on this sustainable gardening program offered through OSU Extension Service in cooperation with OSU Extended Campus. We look forward to helping you reach your gardening goals with the help of online learning. Extended Campus Oregon State University ecampus@oregonstate.edu 800-667-1465 or 541-737-9204 ecampus@oregonstate.edu • OSU Extended Campus

A word of thanks from the American Red Cross

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Thank You Thank you for your recent donations. Please remember, blood donors like you really are helping to save lives - lives like Alex's - each time you give blood. Recipients, their friends and family, and the Red Cross are grateful for your selflessness and generosity. Four-year-old Alex of Portland, OR was recently diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. During his treatment, Alex has received several blood and platelet transfusions and will likely need more in the future. "Our sincere Thank You's to all the donors who help make our hope of Alex beating this cancer a reality. From the bottom of our hearts." - Sara, Alex's mom To help save lives through blood donation, please make an appointment by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or by visiting our web site. To learn more about Alex and his battle with cancer, visit his mom's blog called Alex's Battle. Copyright © 2009 | The American Red Cross Pacific Northwest Blood Services Region 3131 N. Vancouver Avenue Portland, OR 97227 (503) 284-1234

If you have been told previously that you should never donate blood, please disregard this message. If you recently made a blood donation, or if you have already scheduled an appointment to donate blood, please accept our thanks on behalf of the patients whose lives you may have touched.

What we have here is a failure to communicate

It's time to slow down and stop this fast-track rush to sell off control of land in Minto-Brown Park before the public is well-informed about the stakes. Image by c_smith2k000 via Flickr

One of the most maddening things about the city's proposal to sell off control of 200 acres of precious, rich agricultural land on Minto-Brown Island is the way that the whole thing, from the very start, seems to have been designed to be accomplished without any public awareness and certainly without significant public involvement.

The original proposal was put onto the City Council's CONSENT agenda -- the one that gets no discussion! And until a citizen told the City Council that the project wasn't even listed on the City website stimulus projects page, it was missing in action there as well.

And today, August 7, here are the "major topics" listed on the city website (list below). Notice anything that's conspicuous by its absence? That's right -- there's a proposal to radically change the use of a beloved city park by permanently ceding control of 200 acres of it to the federal government -- in direct contradiction to the current park master plan (which calls for agriculture to be continued, not reduced by 80%) that is nowhere listed as a "major topic" on the city website.

By way of contrast with the way Salem has handled this radical change in activity in Minto, let's compare the process that the city makes you go through to get a residential parking zone established on your street (to prevent high school kids and downtown employees from parking in front of your house all day):

To get your street added to the 90-minute-only parking zone, the citizen petitioner is required to knock on the door and notify 100% --- each and every one --- of the affected neighbors, even if they already have a no parking zone in front of their house. THEN the citizen is required to submit the petition to the Neighborhood Association for their endorsement. If the citizen fails to contact _all_ the affected residences (and to get 3/4 support from them all), or to go through the neighborhood association, no action will be taken.

Is the permanent loss of control of 200 acres of a unique public park really less significant than getting a 90-minute parking zone established in a residential neighborhood? If not, then why has the public not been given at least the same level of notice and opportunity to comment?

Topic: Keeping of Urban Chickens

Topic: Neighborhood Services Program

Topic: Sign Code Amendments

Topic: Shopping Cart Ordinance

Topic: Police Department Facility Task Force

Topic: Salem River Crossing Project (3rd Bridge)

Topic: Parks & Recreation System Master Plan

Department: Public Works

Contact: Mark Becktel, Parks & Transportation Services Manager, 503-588-6211 mbecktel@cityofsalem.net

Topic: Minto Island Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge

Tell Salem Planning Commission: Chickens aren't livestock!

Revising the definition of "livestock" to exclude chickens will make it much easier for Salem to permit backyard hens. Image via Wikipedia

Please take a moment to send a note to the Salem Planning Commission to ask them to recommend that Salem take chickens OUT of the definition of "livestock." And if you can attend this upcoming Planning Commission meeting, please do.

What: Planning Commission Public Hearing

When: Tuesday, August 18 at 5:30 pm

Where: Salem City Hall, 555 Liberty St., Room 240.

Why: A hearing on whether the Planning Commission should recommend that Salem City Council correct the definition of livestock to exclude chickens. (Livestock is forbidden in residential areas, so if chickens are defined as livestock, then no hens in most of Salem.)

Please send a brief letter or email to the commission staff to urge the Commission to revise the definition of livestock to exclude chickens. Include your name, address.

Bryce Bishop, Associate Planner

City of Salem – Planning Division

555 Liberty Street SE, Room 305

Salem, OR 97301

This change would make it easier to get an ordinance permitting backyard hens and to revise that ordinance without having to go through the detour of the Planning Commission. A backyard hens ordinance will be discussed at a future city council meeting, probably in September. Getting the definition of livestock revised to exclude chickens will make it much easier for Salem to permit backyard hens!

Note that Planning Commission meetings are on Tuesdays, but they are held in the same place and have the same format as City Council meetings (signup to speak, 3 minutes only).

A few days before the meeting on August 18^th, the agenda will be posted online.