News-Times Wednesday, May 30, 2012
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NEWS A17
Memorial Day remembers fallen vets Two events take to heart sacrifice made by soldiers
gathering at Forest View Cemetery and, shortly after, at the flag-raising ceremony on the east side of town. On each occasion, he read an excerpt from Wilder’s final act, in which a New Hampshire stage manager describes the town cemetery: “Over there are some Civil War veterans. Iron flags on their graves, New Hampshire boys had a notion that the Union ought to be kept together, though they’d never seen more than fifty miles of it themselves. All they knew was the name, friends — the United States of America. The United States of America. And they went and died for it.” Speakking at the flag-raising
By JOHN SCHRAG The News-Times Those who attended a pair of Memorial Day ceremonies in Forest Grove on Monday were momentarily transported to another small hamlet, Grover’s Corners, made famous in Thorton Wilder’s 1938 play, “Our Town.” Forest Grove Mayor Pete Truax, a former English teacher, spoke briefly at a morning
ceremony, Truax said the starspangled banner means different things to different people. “To some,” he said, “it is a beacon of hope and honor. To others it is a sign of a debt still to be paid, of freedom, respect and equality still to be granted. But even in that sense of disappointment, there is the sense that the flag is part of what is right about this country. “But on this day,” the mayor continued, “it serves to remind us of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, paid the ultimate price. Take time to remember them today. And remember those who still serve, on that distant outpost far from family, far from home.”
Pet of theWeek
The color guard procession is a feature of the Memorial Day ceremony at Forest View Cemetery held each year in Forest Grove. NEWS-TIMES PHOTO: NANCY TOWNSLEY
Ryley: Park is nearly complete ■ From page 1
SQUIRRELNAPPED! Rosie and Gabby caught a squirrel — or so they think. He may have caught them snoozing. Rosie (the white one) and Gabby live with Ken and Kris Bilderback in Gaston. Rosie is a 10-year-old “miracle kitty” from the Oregon Humane Society that is living with a heart condition known as cardiomyopathy. Gabby is a four-year-old rescue kitty from Cornelius Veterinary Clinic, Ken reports. “Gabby adores Rosie and has helped her stay alive and vibrant,” Bilderback said. For being selected as this week’s Pet of the Week, Gabby and Rosie’s owners get a a $25 custom framing gift certificate at A Framer’s Touch (AFT), 1910 21st Ave. in Forest Grove. Stop by and see how your favorite pet, family or vacation photo looks in a new frame.
Some of the students wrote letters and presented them to her during the ceremony, which dedicated the tree in Ryley’s memory. Blanchard said when she and Hope Gallinger-Long, Ryley’s widow, and his older brother Zack, started to read the letters they had to stop. The contents were too moving. “You can tell from what they wrote they really got it,” Blanchard said of the kids.
Veterans park taking shape Just a half-mile away from the school a different kind of memo-
NEWS-TIMES PHOTO: CHASE ALLGOOD
Echo Shaw Elementary School students and staff celebrate the life of Riley Gallinger-Long with his family. rial is taking shape. Amber Gilley and a group of citizens, including Zack GallingerLong, have managed to secure funding for a flag pole and new signage at Cornelius’ Arboretum Park, located at 1251 Baseline St. With the city’s blessing, the park is now called Veterans Memorial Park, in honor of the city’s lost soldiers, sailors and pilots. The park will have a formal dedication ceremony at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 30. A week ahead of the birthday of Ryley Gallinger-Long, July 4, and Kenny Leisten, another Cornelius soldier killed in action in Iraq. Leisten was born July 5, 1984.
Leisten was in the same National Guard unit as Gilley’s husband, Dave, more than seven years ago. When Leisten was killed in July 2004 in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Iraq, Gilley began to think about a memorial park. Leisten, the first soldier from Cornelius killed in Iraq, was remembered in memorials across the state. Following the massive community outpouring last year in response to the death of Gallinger-Long in Afghanistan, Gilley’s dream of a memorial park in Cornelius has finally become a reality.
Lead: Without monitor, no clear answer ■ From page 1
kidneys and nervous system. Children are especially vulnerable to long-term health problems.
Conflicting studies In 2005, the DEQ took an inventory of air toxics and plane emissions prior to take-off. The model used in that study predicted that a large amount of lead settled in the air around the airport. “In the 2005 model the assumption was that the emissions were all occurring at the ground level,” said Sarah Armitage, natural resource specialist for the DEQ. That brought the projected lead level in 2005 to about .25 micrograms per cubic meter of air, much higher than the DEQapproved .15 benchmark. But this year, the DEQ released its Portland Air Toxics Solution project, which modeled levels of lead in the air surrounding the Hillsboro Airport for 2005 and 2017. While the 2005 estimate found the amount of lead in the air to be dangerous, the new study put the emissions below the benchmark, sparking a fresh dispute between citizen activists and the Port of Portland. Miki Barnes, president of Oregon Aviation Watch, a group that pushes for reductions in aviation’s impact on neighbors like her, was immediately concerned by the initial 2005 study.
Barnes thinks the high lead emission is mostly because of the popularity of Hillsboro’s flight school. Barnes said foreign pilots also frequent the school, essentially importing what Barnes sees as highly polluting activity into Oregon from other countries. “I do believe it’s because of this enormous amount of flight training,” Barnes said. “It just seems to me that those other countries are probably delighted to dump some of their pollution and some of their noise.” The flight pilots practice touch-and-go maneuvers, which require pilots to land on a runway and take off again without stopping, which Barnes said contributes to the amount of lead emitted near the ground and closer to where people live. “This means most likely that a four-to-five mile radius is being subjected to an enormous amount of lead toxicity,” Barnes said. Barnes said the Hillsboro Airport supports the flight training simply to make a profit, at the expense of the airport’s neighbors. Officials at the Port of Portland say otherwise. “I don’t know that it’s fair to characterize the Port as ‘We want more students because we want more money for the airport,’” said Kama Simonds, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland. “People tend to go where the job is and where the training is. Hillsboro Airport is a great facility.”
COURTESY PHOTO
While the 2009 study showed two blips of lead on the regionwide map, with most of the chemical focused in Hillsboro (above), a later study suggested that lead levels weren’t unsafe.
Different data shows lower threat The DEQ’s projected lead levels in 2017 show that the emissions may not be as startling as Oregon Aviation Watch thinks. The 2017 modeled data showed that the airport’s lead emissions were possibly not over the benchmark level. Armitage said the 2017 projection was based off the air during flight patterns, which showed that the lead emissions were not above the benchmark because the lead was diluted as the planes travelled through air. “We adjusted to make it more realistic and more accurate,” Armitage said. “It had the realization that the pollution was more vertically and horizontally distributed.”
But for the 2017 emissions estimate, the DEQ incorporated data from a 2010 study by Port of Portland’s own contractor, which used a more complex model than the DEQ study. Barnes said that the DEQ accepted the Port of Portland’s findings without ever testing them. “One concern is that the Port did not include ground run-ups in their study, which according to the EPA are major contributors to lead emissions in the vicinity of an airport,” Barnes said. “It is also worth factoring in the inherent bias of a study commissioned by the Port given that the sole purpose of the Port by statute is to promote marine and aviation activity.” Armitage defends the updated study, saying the 2017 model
using the Port’s findings relied on the best information available. “We were actually applying what we believe were more accurate assumptions,” Armitage said. The DEQ does acknowledge that the planes emit lead, though they can’t pin down at what level it is affecting the community. “We know it’s in the fuel so we have an easily identified source,” said William Knight, a DEQ spokesperson. “Now it’s a question of how much risk is involved for the people.” Knight also pointed out that pollution in the area — which includes the heavily congested Highway 26, a network of busy commuter corridors and heavy industrial sites — is a combination of other elements besides lead. “To put it in perspective, it would be curious to see what the level of auto emissions are compared to lead emissions,” Knight said. “In overall health risks it could pale in comparison to the auto emissions we spew every day.”
Federal jurisdiction Simonds said the Port is aware that lead is found in the airplane gas, but they have no control over the issue. “We don’t have the authority to regulate the types of aircrafts that use our airport nor do we have the ability to regulate what type of fuel our planes use,” she said. “The problem is to be fixed a national level.”
The Federal Aviation Association is responsible for the level of lead in aviation fuel, and so far have not regulated it, said Ian Gregor, the public affairs manager for the FAA’s Pacific division. However, he said in an email that the FAA is looking into the problem. “The current FAA administration has established an aviation rulemaking committee to evaluate the feasibility of, and approaches to, transitioning to the use of unleaded aviation gasoline without compromising safety,” Gregor said. Simonds also said that she does not want to form an antagonistic relationship with Oregon Aviation Watch, and instead hopes the group’s efforts are redirected towards the national stage. “One of our roles also would be to help our community understand that this is a federal issue, and to guide that energy and enthusiasm for fixing the problem and solving the problem to the right spot,” she said. The DEQ hopes to someday be able to use a monitor near the airport so it can gather more exact data. Armitage said there is a big difference between modeling data and using an air monitor. Budget cuts have made it harder for the DEQ to afford the equipment, and they would need a grant to fund it. “Monitoring is a limited resource,” Armitage said. “I think we are definitely interested to know if there is a problem with lead.”
HEY KIDS! E S S AY C O N T E S T “My dad (_______________________________) is the best because...” _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Your Name: ______________________________________________ Age: ____________ Phone:_______________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________City: ____________________________________
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All you have to do is tell us in 75 words or less why “My Dad Is The Best Dad” You can enter by mailing or bringing this form to: Best Dad Contest 2038 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove, Or 97116. Or you can email your submission to Happenings@ fgnewstimes.com. All entries must be received no later than Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 3 p.m. Winner will be announced in the June 13 edition of the News-Times.