Board Meeting Minutes 2018-10-15

Posted on by Monica Choy Salazar

Eliot Neighborhood Association
Meeting Minutes
October 15, 2018
6:48 – 8:40 pm
St. Philip Deacon Episcopal Church
NE 120 Knott St.

Meeting called to order 6:48pm

PRESENTATION: Bob Callahan (added to agenda)

Bob Callahan is running for circuit court judge. Out of 38 judges, 37 have been appointed. 12 judges are up for re-election and Callahan is running against an incumbent judge. Callahan is an Oregon native, has an office in NW for the past 30 years.

PRESENTATION: Portland Clean Air – Greg Bourget

  • Portland’s ranking for breathing conditions: worst city in US because we have no regulations on air pollution
  • Bullseye Glass in SE – for decades was polluting air with lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals; DEQ allowed pollution; neighbors organizing led to regulation
  • Since then, only decorative glass is regulated, even though manufacturing of regular glass is also polluting
  • 2017 Diesel Bill to regulate diesel trucks did not pass
  • Since Oregon legislature can accept an unlimited amount of campaign donations, legislature cannot be counted on to change regulations for diesel
  • Portland Clean Air is a nonprofit that only has volunteers to conduct tests and collect records from 9 industries polluting in Portland
  • DEQ does not consider human health in their regulation of industries
  • Eliot is surrounded by 2 freeways and would already have air issues before factoring in diesel; 3/4 of the diesel trucks passing through neighborhood are not filtered; there are about 10,000 truck routes a day passing through Eliot; many are short-run trucks that are many many trips back and forth in the city
  • Unfiltered trucks are polluting 10x more diesel particulates than filtered trucks

Solutions:

  1. Monitoring to get samples: a diesel reading instrument costs $45K – Portland Clean Air needs help writing grants to purchase monitor; it is possible to build a smaller one using a 3D printer (cost would be $100)
  2. Negotiate with truck fleets: approach big companies and get them to filter their trucks; hire an antitrust lawyer to help file a lawsuit to bring attention to diesel pollution issues
  3. Publicity and media spreading awareness; in the past few years, 7 industries have regulated because of pressure from citizens
  4. Portland Clean Air needs help with tasks: email Greg Bourget to volunteer (gregbourget@hotmail.com)
  • Diesel particulates are tiny spheres of carbon that passed through the blood barrier very easily and goes into the brain and also can pass through placenta
  • 40% of diesel pollution comes from off-freeway vehicles
  • 8 neighborhoods in Portland have the most pollution including: Brooklyn, Creston-Kenilworth, Pearl, Eliot

*MOVE to accept May meeting minutes – Brad Baker; Jim Hlava seconds; unanimously approved

VOTE IN NEW BOARD: moderated by Jessica Rojas

  1. Brad Baker
  2. Jim Hlava
  3. Susan Stringer
  4. Jimmy Wilson
  5. Shireen Hasan
  6. Pat Montgomery
  7. Jere Fitterman
  8. Maggie Gardner
  9. Johnny Engleheart
  10. Jonathan Konkol

LUTC COMMITTEE REPORT

  • Eliot district is a conservation district and the city is considering updating the rules for conservation districts to better meet their goals. Some of the proposed changes would make it harder to tear down houses or build houses in empty lots.
  • Hill Block Project will come present at next LUTC meeting
  • SEI – project managing

Meeting adjourned: 8:40pm

Guests/Residents present: Isabella Villarreal, Matt Morrissey, Johnny Engleheart, Nick Fogerlund, Bob Callahan, Greg Bourget (Portland Clean Air)

Board Members present: Brad Baker, Jim Hlava, Jimmy Wilson, Monica Choy Salazar, Patricia Montgomery, Shireen Hasan, Sue Stringer