Opponents should not have been silenced (06/06/06)

To the Editor:

I am writing regarding the meeting held on June 1, 2006 by the City of Portland Planning Commission.

This was concerning the rezoning approximately 180 acres from agricultural to industrial planned development for the purpose of constructing an ethanol plant by Premier Ethanol LLC.

In a notice dated May 11, 2006, sent by Bill Milligan, Zoning Administrator, it stated that “all interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard in reference to matters set out in the petition.”

At 5 p.m. on that date, a large group of adjacent landowners and other interested parties were in attendance. We were asked to sign in and state whether we wanted to speak or not. The majority of us said we did want to speak regarding this petition.

There were about ten people allowed to speak.

Most of them were asking questions about the devaluation of properties, losing our well water, and the odor and pollution involved in the building of this plant.

Several people asked that the commission table the request for rezoning until everyone had all the facts so an informed decision could be made.

At approximately 6:15 p.m. chairperson Vicki Tague stated that the meeting would be closed to the public and was there a motion? There was a motion made to change the zoning from agricultural to planned unit industrial.

This was voted on by a 5-2-1 margin and therefore it passed.

In speaking with Vicki the next day, I informed her of what our notices stated and that there were several of us that had some other issues we wanted to bring up, but we were not allowed our time to talk.

I think that we all should have been allowed to voice our concerns.

This issue is one that will affect us and our children and grandchildren in the coming years.

Thank you,

Sue Sommers

Portland[[In-content Ad]]