FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon – October 17, 2019 – Save Cooks Butte is pleased to announce that at the General Meeting of the Palisades Neighborhood Association (PNA) this evening, residents voted overwhelmingly in opposition to the placement of a telecommunications tower in Cooks Butte natural park.
“Residents hand delivered approximately 1700 flyers to almost every resident in the Palisades neighborhood this past weekend to remind them to attend this very important association meeting and voice their opposition to the tower,” stated Scott Handley, the Save Cooks Butte leader. “We also encouraged residents to send opposition email to the PNA board…well over 100 residents sent in emails,” he continued.
Handley provided a factual overview of the events surrounding the efforts to install this telecommunications tower at Cooks Butte. After significant discussion, Handley raised his motion – “I move that the Palisades Neighborhood Association oppose the Cooks Butte C800 Emergency Communications Tower and begin working on opposition testimony for the Development Review Commission.” The motion was seconded and passed overwhelmingly by the quorum.
“We expect the PNA board to respect the vote of the quorum tonight and immediately issue an ‘Association Statement’ per Article VII in our by-laws to the City,” stated Handley. “We also expect the PNA board to consult with other neighborhood associations and the Save Cooks Butte team to develop a comprehensive strategy and game plan to develop opposition testimony for this major development in Cooks Butte at the Development Review Commission hearing.”
Residents and neighborhood associations have an opportunity to testify in-person (or submit written testimony) at the Development Review Commission (DRC) hearing. Residents are given 5 minutes. Neighborhood associations 10 minutes. Each testimony must offer new information for the DRC to consider. The neighborhood association that is subject to a major development and neighboring association may appeal a DRC decision to the City Council without fee, as long as they follow their by-laws in preparing their statements; for Cooks Butte this includes the Palisades, Blue Heron, McVey-Southshore, and Westridge Neighborhood Associations. Other neighborhood associations may issue ‘Association Statements’ and testify at the DRC hearing; however, any appeals would be subject a fee as much as $5400 each.
Clackamas 800 Radio Group has not yet submitted an application to the City Planning Department; hence, no DRC hearing date has been established.
Save Cooks Butte is a coalition of Lake Oswego residents who are concerned about our natural parks. They are working to inform the Lake Oswego community about the City’s practices and procedures with Clackamas 800 Radio Group to place a telecommunication tower in Cooks Butte natural park. This coalition opposes telecommunications towers, or structures of any kind, in any of Lake Oswego’s natural parks. To date, the coalition has secured over 500 petition signatures from Lake Oswego residents in opposition to a telecommunication tower in Cooks Butte natural park.