By now the public is well aware of how somehow, designers of the bridge project to replace the aging bridges across the Columbia River along the I-5 corridor screwed up and ignored years of input from citizens and businesses of the minimum clearance needed under the bridge for river traffic. It’s received a lot of coverage on local blogs and in the media from Willamette Week, the Oregonian and our own little local crier, the Columbian.
To say the least, the ongoing project that has sucked up nearly $150 Million of the public’s tax dollars is the most contentious of projects this area has ever seen, as well as the most expensive with predictions of eventual costs approaching $10 Billion.
Since its inception, after Clark County voters defeated a measure to extend Portland, Oregon’s financially ailing light rail into our community by a large margin, the CRC has been a public project largely shrouded in secrecy, in violation of Washington State Open Meeting Law, ignoring or marginalizing citizen input while claiming they are open and transparent, championed by our own local town crier, the Columbian, also known to many as the unofficial daily newsletter of the CRC & Democrat Party.
Over the years, several citizen groups have formed to shed much needed light on this project, among the most notable Couv.com and Third Bridge Now, the latter recently receiving their 501c3 Non-Profit Public Charity status and “in their 12th year of promoting a Third Bridge and helping to educate our community on the need for good transportation infrastructure for jobs now and in the future” with your generosity.
501c3 status means that now, your donations are tax deductible and can be made through their home page. Donations will go a long way in helping Third Bridge Now continues as one of the most active groups deeply involved for 12 years now in advocating a common sense, affordable alternative to the massive project planned by the CRC while working to pull back the curtain wrapped around CRC and what all goes on with them.
Leading in Third Bridge Now’s efforts to shed much needed light into what goes on with CRC is Sharon Nasset, frequently seen at City Council, County Commission, CRC and most any other meeting concerning CRC. She has been relentless in meeting with engineers, local elected officials on both sides of the river and tracking down legislators in digging out information we otherwise but not be aware of.
Sharon recently contacted me not only to let me know Third Bridge now had received their 501c3 status, but also to reveal just how low CRC has stooped to push this project forward against strong public opposition. Amongst her concerns was how CRC has lifted information from their website and included it within their own releases, while not crediting Third Bridge Now (TBN).
Maps drawn and provided by TBN have appeared in CRC reports, not only not credited but minus some information that Sharon believes supports the views of many who see the project as currently planned as too expensive with little or no chance of resolving the main issue, traffic congestion through the corridor.
TBN provided a 2005 newspaper article showing what they propose for the corridor, contrasting what CRC claims they proposed.
In spite of claims made by CRC that all reasonable alternatives are thoroughly vetted, a letter received from the Clark County Commission admits no such vetting occurred on TBN’s proposal. A similar letter received from the Regional Transportation Council contained the same admission.
The RTC also admitted they relied on what information was provided by CRC to arrive at their conclusion, different than what was proposed and with far less information.
Admittedly, I am not as up to date on just what all CRC continues to hide or what all viable information they receive and ignore. But Sharon Nasset is and she is left feeling like “the big guys, stole our stuff and lied about it” in how maps have been lifted and information lost, proposals misrepresented to portray as inadequate and claims of properly and fully vetting what many feel could be viable and preferable alternatives not being vetted or properly studied while claiming they were.
As others have seen when speaking out on this project, seeing it brings more harm to our community than good, the powers that be do not wish to hear it and act as if what was decided to force our community to accept Portland, Oregon’s light rail against our wishes is chiseled in stone.
Voices like Sharon Nasset and more are being ignored and ridiculed, even when they have engineering support for a better solution that would cost far less.
What information I have included above is but some of what I was provided relating to how CRC is not being exactly open and transparent.
Sharon Nasset and Third Bridge Now need your help to continue exposing what is kept behind their curtain.
CRC should be stopped and investigated, giving taxpayers answers on just why so much money has been spent and alternatives that appear would work better and cost less are quickly cast aside, but claimed to be studied thoroughly.
Investigative journalists used to look out for taxpayers in exposing such misuse of taxpayers’ dollars, but now are part of the problem, helping block citizens’ views of just where and how our taxes are spent.
We need to support Third Bridge Now and Couv.com to be keep abreast as the curtain is slowly rolled back.
We also need to fully vet candidates for office to support and vote for those willing to pull that curtain back and not just blindly support CRC and Portland’s light rail.
CRC has sunk to new lows in how it appears that they misrepresent alternatives and lift material from others without including full information.
