neighborhoods | Rosemere Neighborhood Association

Power Past Coal Campaign – RNA letter to Vancouver City Council

June 25, 2012 Author: admin

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Train unloading coal at Millennium terminal in June 2011

On June 19, 2012, Rosemere Neighborhood Association submitted a letter to Vancouver Mayor, City Council and City Managers asking the City of Vancouver to join in the efforts by Governor Kitzhaber and Senator Patty Murray to call for a regional Environmental Impact Statement regarding the doubling of international coal exports through the Pacific Northwest. Seven mega coal terminals are proposed to ship 157 million tons of coal annually to China. The coal trains will flow daily through Vancouver, spewing toxic residue with each train.

Excerpted from the letter, which was presented at Vancouver City Council meeting, Monday, June 25, 2012:

Facing the slowing of U.S. coal fired power plants, coal companies like Massey and Arch Coal are looking to harvest and ship an additional 157 million tons of coal per year, sending 30 – 60 trains per day through the Columbia River Gorge via Portland and Vancouver, where it is intended to be shipped to Asia. Each and every car from a coal train can unleash 500 pounds of coal dust. The coal trains proposed to run through Portland and Vancouver will be 75 miles long, each day making the Pacific Northwest the largest coal chute in the nation, originating in Montana’s Powder Ridge Basin. There are various international coal export terminals proposed for Oregon and Washington, and should they proceed unabated, the health and environmental impacts to our region and our way life will be substantial.

To view the letter in its entirety: Coal to City Council

Pipe Replacement in Vancouver: Water Main Break at 32nd & Q St.

October 16, 2009 Author: admin

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Water Main Break – September 26, 2009

Rosemere residents were unwinding from a busy week on Saturday night, September 26, 2009.

As relaxing bubble baths were being drawn, water ceased flowing. Those with shampoo in their hair found this most inconvenient, but employees of the City of Vancouver who were wrestling with a broken water main on 32nd & Q St. had bigger problems.

In inky darkness, water was shooting out of the broken main, creating a sinkhole which overflowed, flooding the streets. A city employee was probing the massive hole to test for depth. Suddenly the edge he was standing on gave way, plunging him into the raging waters. After swirling around in the maelstrom for what seemed an eternity, he was able to extract himself to safer grounds.

Water flowed down 32nd towards R St., turning the alley into a churning creek, flooding a home on the corner. The area was a news clip disaster. By Sunday morning, hard working city employees repaired the broken main and filled the sink hole. [Read More...]

Press Release: RNA Wins Landmark Environmental Justice Case Against EPA’s Office of Civil Rights

September 18, 2009 Author: admin

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Chris Winter
CRAG Law Center

Dvija Michael Bertish
Rosemere Neighborhood Association

ROSEMERE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WINS LANDMARK ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CASE AGAINST EPA’S OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Criticizes EPA for a “Pattern of Delay” in Implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act

(September 18, 2009) Rosemere Neighborhood Association (“Rosemere”) is a non-profit community organization in Clark County, Washington, dedicated to environmental protection and the pursuit of improvements to low-income environmental justice communities.

In February 2003, Rosemere first filed a Title VI administrative complaint with EPA’s Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) alleging that the City of Vancouver, WA had discriminated in the provision of municipal services in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Rosemere alleged that Vancouver failed to use EPA funds to address fairly long-standing problems in low-income and minority neighborhoods in West Vancouver.

[Read More...]

COLUMBIA RIVER CROSSING STAFF SPEAKS AT RNA MEETING – June 22, 2006

April 4, 2009 Author: admin

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In December 2001, Rosemere residents on ‘K’ street learned that they could have lost their homes to make way for a potential I-5 widening project. The RNA received many phone calls from worried neighbors when this issue first arose in a Columbian article entitled “In the Way on ‘K’,” and RNA members became very active in public meetings with the Bi-State Transportation Commission that was established to help find solutions to traffic problems relative to the I-5 bridge crossing. The RNA canvassed the neighborhood and rallied residents to attend Commission meetings and provide written and verbal testimony in order stop unnecessary demolition of homes that abut I-5. The message was loud and clear, and Commission members acknowledged that design plans should be changed to ensure that homes were not lost in Rosemere and other neighborhoods. [Read More...]

Third Annual Neighborhood Tree Planting – March 23, 2006

April 4, 2009 Author: admin

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Volunteer Crews Load up New Trees and Supplies for Planting

For the third year in a row, members of the RNA were vital in the success of West Vancouver’s tree planting efforts. The day began bright and early at 7:00am, with the plantings completed by early afternoon. Mariah Mickman, Neighborhood Trees Manager for Friends of Trees, organized the tree list. RNA members, including Carol Panfilio, John Felton, James Neigel, Paul Neigel, and Patrick Doncaster and Troy Harris of Hough Neighborhood Association took 111 trees and sorted them by neighborhood and by species, where they were then taken in individual pickups to the planting sites. Last year, volunteer crews planted 96 trees. [Read More...]

RNA Watershed Stewards Honored – March 9, 2006

April 4, 2009 Author: admin

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A Volunteer Recognition gala banquet was held Thursday, March 9th, 7pm at the Water Resource Service Center.

This event was given specifically for County volunteers, Clean Water Commissioners, and Watershed Stewards, in recognition of their service to environmental programs/projects in Clark County. [Read More...]

RNA CERT TEAM IN ACTION – December 26, 2005

April 4, 2009 Author: admin

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At 3:30am on Christmas morning, a sudden wind storm with severe gusts damaged property in Rosemere. A main trunk of a 65-foot tree was toppled by the winds and it crashed into a neighbor’s truck. Debris dangerously filled the intersection. Any unsuspecting driver who happened upon the scene would have suffered serious damage to their vehicle. The danger was immediately reported to 911, but no emergency crew responded. Often during storms of this nature, emergency services are overwhelmed with calls. [Read More...]

RNA Helps with Neighborhood Tree Planting – March 14, 2005

April 3, 2009 Author: admin

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On Saturday, March 12th, Rosemere had another successful neighborhood tree planting. Arnada, Carter Park, Hough, and Shumway neighborhoods were also involved in this tree planting and a total of 96 trees were planted in the five neighborhoods. Everyone met at the First United Methodist Church around 8 am to divide the trees up into smaller pickup loads, along with tools to aid in the planting process. [Read More...]

Richard Smith letter to the Columbian – December 19, 2004

April 2, 2009 Author: admin

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Unabridged letter printed:

This letter to the editor was written by the Rosemere Neighborhood Association’s attorney, Richard Smith. The letter was published in the Columbian on Sunday, December 19, 2004′ however, it was edited by the Columbian staff and pertinent commentary was removed. The letter is included here in its entirety as it was originally penned.

Dear Editor:

Scott Hewitt’s December 9, 2004 Reporter’s Notebook about the Rosemere neighborhood warrants a response. It is too bad that the Columbian chooses to slander the Rosemere Neighborhood Association, which is a group of well-intentioned people pointing out the naked-emperorness of city government for the common good. Also, how is it responsible journalism to repeat unsupported (and easily debunked) defamatory remarks in the context of an obvious neighborhood feud? [Read More...]

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT: TUESDAY AUGUST 3, 2004

April 2, 2009 Author: admin

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In light of security measures in the Pacific Northwest, The Rosemere Neighborhood Association is setting another precedent. We are asking everyone in Rosemere to stay home, stay out on your porch or in your front yard, and turn on your porch light for National Night Out. [Read More...]