03/27/1972 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

to the State in those areas not already covered and that one report would result. Further, that that is not what the members of the Defense Council recommended originally nor the intent 'of the Planning Corrunission recommendation. He said the S tate has indicated it does not intend to study alternate routes and this mu1tidisp1inary team could bring out the reasons not only on this project but others 'to be linked to it. He sidd it seems unrealistic to study the impact of Highway 126 wi thout consideration of other sections which will be a part of it. f[ e urged the Council and Mayor to appoint this commi ttee immediately in order to have the information on possible alternate routes and the full 'impact of th~ project on the community. . '. , Mayor Anderson read Item 3 of the Planning Corrunission' s recommendation ~ee Decerriber 13, 1971 Council minutes). He said it was desirable that disciplines be defined before recommendations were made as to composi tion of the Impact Study Committee so there would be no special interest groups involved. That the committee would be given the full responsibility of establishing findings in fact and if it is going to conduct an objective impact study, to be conducted under gui de1ines of the Federa'l government, somewhere it would attempt. to make contact with the Highway Commission beca.use Highway 126 is a State project. He said it would seem impossible to launch a committee on any kind of objective study wi thout co-operation of the S .tate and Federal g'overnments. And that it is nei ther his" intent nor the Council's to delay the appointment of. the team to eventually forego an impact study. He said that he thinks the Council's con- cern was derronstrated through its liaison with the Planning Commission and there is no question that a mu1tidisp1inary team will be appointed; that the issue ap- pears to be one of timing and proper orientation by various parties invo1 ved in order to maintain some objectivity. He said he feels it would be unfortunate to launch a study -without background information and liaison with the Highway Department as it would subject committee merribers to pressures from individuals having certain position on the project so that facts not even pertinent to the question might be brought in. . I , t/ Mayor .Anderson sai d he has recei ved recommendations for membership of the impact study 'cornmi tte~ from. meJ7!bers of the Council nad has had several people volunteer servi ce, and that he has recommendati'ons pretty 'well i.n mind. These would be subject to whatever change or recommendation the Council might make. He reiterated his posi tion that he thinks the issue is one of timing so the governmental agencies can co-ordinate their efforts and come up with factual evaluations that will en- able decision making bodies to reach the proper conclusions. Councilman Williams said he thought it significant that the Council discussed addi tiona1 disciplines needed on the impact study team beyond those recommended by the Planning Commission - transportation, economist, structural and traffic engineers, con.tractor - predicated on an assumption they would be necessary in order for a team to intelligently evaluate the environmental impact and submit practi cal al ternati ves . Until it is known what expertise will be suppli ed on the State's team, he said, it would appear useless to appoint a committee unless an entirely separate group is set up which would duplicate the State's effort. Further, to say that the State has a biased commitment is virtuaUy a cha:r>ge of less than honesty on the pa:r>t of the State Highway Commission. He said he would hope the position never has to be adopted of establishing groups within the city watching the state, and the state watching the Federal government because it is felt they are less than honest or nefarious. . Counci man Mohr corronented that the only legis lation required to conform to so far as the impact study is concerned is Federal legis lation requiring that an environmental impact statement be approved and fOPWa:r>ded before expenditure of Federal funds. Mrs. Beal referred to the Clean Air Act. Mr. Mohr said there is no necessity to file impact statement in that case, but that what is trying to be developed a:r>e criticisms and analyses to be mqde available to the Commissioner of Roads. He sqid it seems the Defense Council is asking for a more. general analysis of total transportation system or of the ESATS plan or whatever is in- volved in the 1990 Plan. Further that when the Planning Commission recorronenda- tion was acted upon it was a request to deve lop an impact study on Highway 126 and not on Skinners Butte Expressway, or the ESATS Plan. He said the State must make a statement to the Commissioner of Rodds in order to have Federal funds, and it was feU at the local level in order to give a broader review and more general point of view that a citizens advisory committee should be created. He asked if the Defense Council's thinking is that this does not go fa:r> enough or is not as general as it should be. . Mr. A ldave said in putting the recorronendation to the Planning Commission the merribers of the Defense Counci l were not aUeging their merribers be erribodied as a pa:r>t of the committee, but they want aUJa:r>eness that there a:r>e realistic people with certain interests who are going to have feelings about a project of this nature. He mentioned the 1990 Plan and the objections to the urban service 81 3/27/72 - 7