Mon., July 17, 2006 @ 1:30 p.m. Room 1045 of the City-County Building 930 Tacoma Ave. S.
Mon., July 17, 2006 @ 6:00 p.m.
Graham-Kapowsin High School Commons
22100 - 108th Ave. E. , Graham, WA
Why is the small rural community of Graham now being dragged into a decision about the LRI landfill that will affect everyone in Pierce County?
Dedicated volunteer citizens recently completed four years of work on their first Graham Community Plan. GCPThe draft plan was reviewed by County staff, and recommendations were made to the Planning Commission to approve its content. Then 11th hour changes were submitted by staff that appear to be the result of private interests. These changes were rejected by the Planning Commission, only to resurface when Executive Ladenburg mandated that the issue be revisited in the form of a special meeting, bringing the exact same rejected issues back to the table. Supplemental Staff Report Solid Waste Division Memorandum in support of Overlay with 3
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Who is behind this? What changes do the landfill owners LRI and Waste Connections so desperately seek? What is the urgency?
These hearings have been called to specifically address Ladenburg's mandate to re-submit the rejected amendments to the Graham Community Plan. These changes all relate to the landfill, with the obvious intent to ease permitting of expanded uses at the 304th Street site.
Although the existing environmental review for the plan does not include LRI's intent to seek further uses on the site, County Staff continues to press for implementation of these ordinances now to suit the apparent urgent needs of private landfill interests. County Staff has stated: "Such siting criteria may eventually be utilized as the foundation to create a template for countywide application."
There is already a process in place to address the issues that County Staff wants impose on Graham right now. That process requires SEPA (environmental) review on a County-wide basis.
We need you to attend the hearings to remind our public servants that Issues of County-wide significance should be amended through the major Comprehensive Plan amendment process, not through a rural community plan.
Demand that Pierce County abide by their own Comprehensive Plan for Growth Management.
Demand that Pierce County look at these changes during the County-wide Comprehensive Plan Amendment cycle.
Demand disclosure through the required full environmental impact statement (SEPA) of the true intent of private solid waste contractor LRI.
The LRI landfill project is one of the most controversial, highly contentious issues in Pierce County's history due to its siting over the drinking water source for 400,000 Pierce County residents. The County's current antics to implement "backdoor" policy for private interests must be stopped.
Contact CROWD (Concerned Residents on Waste Disposal) for more information. www.crowd-inc.org (253) 677-4811 Email: crowd@starband.net