August 2011 update: DLCD hearing results, and a look back

By Cherry Amabisca, Steering Committee chair
August 24th, 2011

Where we started

I remember the shock of seeing Washington County’s first map of their plans for our area north of Highway 26 in May, 2009: it showed over 7,000 acres in vivid orange as urban reserves, with a town center at Helvetia Road north of West Union Road.  You shared our outrage and together we embarked on a two-year mission to convince our elected officials that urbanizing the Helvetia area was not what the residents of the region wanted.

What we did together

You sent in letters and emails, thousands of them, to the Washington County Commissioners and Metro Councilors - so many that it overloaded their email in-boxes and they complained.  You testified at hearings when we asked you and you came out in force to meetings and hearings to show your support.  You advocated for keeping Helvetia’s foundation farmland in Rural Reserves at Metro Council and County Commission meetings.  You contributed financially when we needed to pay for legal help.  For this, we thank you.

What we accomplished

At their hearing on August 20, 2011, LCDC affirmed Metro and Washington County’s 2011 urban and rural reserve decisions.  While we were disappointed that we were left with over 800 acres of urban reserves and undesignated farmland north of Highway 26, we succeeded in preserving more than 6,200 acres as rural reserves - about 90% of our goal!  (We'll be issuing a more detailed report on that hearing soon.)

This is an amazing feat considering that the process as designed in Washington County (unlike Clackamas and Multnomah Counties) did not provide for citizen involvement in all phases, as required by Goal 2.  What was lauded as "citizen involvement" was often a sham.  For example, last December we watched helplessly as two years of honest participation and progress was erased as Washington County politicians negotiated last-minute changes to the land designations behind the scenes and out of the public eye, then horse-traded lands when Metro balked.  A special thanks goes to Linda Peters and Robert Bailey for their unfailing efforts to uncover the actions of our elected officials and publicize the shortcomings in Washington County’s citizen involvement process.

What is next?

Once LCDC issues a final written order, we will assess our options, including a possible appeal to the Oregon Court of Appeals.  In the next few weeks, we will develop a plan for a strategy going forward and let you know of our thinking.

Out of the Reserves process: roots of change

We have forged many relationships and built strong friendships during this journey.  Our supporters have gone on to create bonds in the community that we hope will leverage Save Helvetia’s efforts to preserve our valuable farmland.  Committed to the preservation of farmland and conservation of natural resources, Greg Mecklem made a come-from-behind run at County Commissioner.  His narrow defeat demonstrates the community's support for preserving Washington County’s threatened farmlands.  Greg Malinowski won in his district and has the opportunity to advocate for rural interests from his position.  Linda Peters formed the Washington County Citizens Action Network (WC-CAN) to bring together various citizens’ groups in Washington County and leverage their advocacy.  Save Helvetia has partnered with the Washington County Farm Bureau and 1000 Friends of Oregon in preparing unified responses and testimony to the Washington County Board of Commissioners, Metro Council, and LCDC.  As a result of the ongoing threat by our governments to urbanize the Helvetia area, we realized that we needed to strengthen Helvetia’s identity in the regional landscape.  Save Helvetia supporters formed a cultural, educational, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Helvetia Community Association (HCA), to provide ongoing advocacy and education about the value of our rich cultural heritage, our natural resources and our family farms.  You'll be hearing much more about HCA in the near future.

A special tribute

All of this would not have been possible without the many hours invested by our dedicated Steering Committee.  But one individual deserves special mention: our webmaster extraordinaire, Brian Beinlich.  Brian’s superb website development and website management skills are the glue that holds us all together.  Brian’s templates enable you to more easily send your opinions to our elected officials.  His archives provide a valuable repository of the ever-changing maps and documents in the reserves process.  His updates to you are packed with valuable information.  His expertise in PowerPoint helps us put together compelling testimony about our unique and precious area.  His videos of our testimony uploaded to YouTube show the world how a community can pull together and influence a process that has been stacked against citizen involvement.  Brian’s extraordinary efforts (and the patience of his wife Sharon and son Mason) have been instrumental in Save Helvetia’s success over the past two years.  For this, we thank you, Brian!

It's time to celebrate Helvetia

In the meantime, we need to HAVE SOME FUN (and pay some bills)!!  Come join us at our Third Annual Helvetia Culture Fest on Sunday, September 18 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Pacific Crest Alpacas.  All proceeds go directly to benefit our preservation efforts.  We've designed the Culture Fest to be a way for you to contribute to our ongoing efforts to preserve Helvetia’s farmland AND have fun at the same time!  Please bring your family and friends and join us in celebrating what we've worked so hard to preserve.  We'll have cultural events, food, drinks, music, our popular pie walk, and much more!  Tickets should be purchased in advance, and are now on sale.  For tickets and information, visit www.HelvetiaCultureFest.org.

Thank you for our continued commitment to saving Helvetia for future generations. 
 
Chair Cherry
Save Helvetia Steering Committee