Chevron near Bethany Lake Next Steps: Commissioners, Letters, and Share

Hello Everyone-

Spring is in the air and the flowers are blooming throughout Bethany. I hope you have had a chance to enjoy the outdoors and you are keeping yourselves charged up.

Chevron near Bethany Lake Design #3 Meeting

Last night Bob Barman and Mercedes Serra from 3J Consulting hosted a meeting about the third design for Bob’s Chevron near Bethany Lake. In my opinion the meeting was not very insightful. To sample some of the questions they were unable to answer last night:

• How they will fund the inevitable petroleum tank and dispenser decommissioning
• The technical details of their automatic petroleum shutoff system and how it differs from the system that failed in Pasadena CA after a car hit a dispenser
• The traffic impact of their new proposed drive-thru feature
• How they calculate and claim a “near net zero” gas station design when the solar panels would only cover a fraction of 1% of the energy they sell

So, if you missed the meeting you didn’t miss much.

Take Action for Gas Station Setbacks

The fact is the land use laws, as written today, allow anyone in Washington County to build gas stations as close as they desire to parks, schools, wetlands, etc. We need to change this. Over 140 of you have signed our petition to introduce a 1,500ft setback for gas stations near sensitive sites like parks, schools, and wetlands. This petition has now been seen by Washington County land use staff and Commissioners. The next step is for Commissioner to discuss, vote, and direct staff to make this land use update for gas station setbacks. Read the petition.

But, we have got to keep the pressure on Commissioners up! The best ways to do that are:

1. Make a 2 minute public comment at Board of Commissioner meetings. Their meetings are on the first and third Tuesday @ 10 am and the fourth Tuesday @ 6:30 pm every month. Send me an email for details!

2. Email Candidates running for Board of Commissioner seats and ask them for their office. Send candidates an email now!

3. Write letters to the editor of local newspapers demanding gas station setbacks. Read some examples for inspiration

4. Share the petition with anyone you know in Washington County from Sherwood to Banks. Forward this email!

Thank You,

Brandon Philips

P.S. I am putting a gallery together of spring photos from the Rock Creek Trail or Bethany Lake. Send me something! Thom Cheney shared this great one of an eagle from a few years back.