[CPEO-IRF] Camp Bonneville ordnance concerns

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

This letter is reprinted with permission. - LS



VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES
Gus Forbes Post 1927
P.O. Box 366
434 Davidson Street
Woodland, WA., 98674-0366

          May 11, 2006


Honorable Chris Gregoire 

Office of the Governor
P. O. Box 4002
Olympia, WA  98504-0002

RE: Request for audience concerning Camp Bonneville

Dear Governor Gregoire:

I am requesting an audience with you to discuss the reuse plan that is 
currently being proposed by officials from Clark County for Camp 
Bonneville.  I, as a Vietnam veteran and Commander of Gus Forbes VFW 
Post 1927 and many other concerned members of the community have grave 
doubts about the use of Camp Bonneville as a 'free range' park.  I and 
no more than 3 other concerned community members would like to meet with 
you by May 24, 2006 to present our side of this controversial proposal.

We have attempted to write to you to let you know of how strongly we 
feel about this proposal and our desire to have you stop the transfer of 
this property by the Army to Clark County for their use as a park.  We 
have heard from Department of Ecology and their response does not answer 
our question about halting the transfer.  Only you can make that 
decision and you can do that by not signing the Prospective Purchaser 
Consent Decree (Decree).

Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 92620(h)(3)(C)(i), the Army must determine that 
Early Transfer Parcel is suitable for transfer.  The Army's 
determination is set forth in the FOSET.  A facility not on the National 
Priorities List(NPL), the Governor of the state in which the facility is 
located has the final determination that the property is suitable for 
transfer.  Camp Bonneville is NOT on the NPL, thus you as Governor will 
determine the suitability of the 'dirty transfer' of Camp Bonneville 
from the Army to Clark County.  You and only you may halt this transfer 
of a parcel of land for use as a park that is unsafe and not suited for 
our children and grandchildren to play.  If you have the authority to 
approve this transfer, you also have the authority to NOT APPROVE the 
transfer.  The Army may not execute a Deed to convey this property 
without your approval.  Your approval of this transfer would place 
anyone that steps foot in this park in the future in dire danger and 
possible death or injury from unexploded ordnance (UXO).

I am asking that we be granted an audience and that this letter not be 
sent off into some other office of the State Government for their 
response.  I and other concerned citizens want to know what you as 
Governor has to say on this subject and not what others in your 
administration have to say.  We want to hear it directly from you what 
your thoughts are about transferring Camp Bonneville to Clark County for 
use as a park, knowing that the potential of someone being killed or 
injured in the future by UXO is a very real possibility and knowing that 
you can prevent this from happening.

I will be attending the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, 
Summer Meeting in Yakima in June, 2006.  I am looking forward to 
presenting your response to our 40,000 state membership concerning this 
matter and asking that a 'resolution' be prepared and submitted to your 
office and also requesting that it be sent to the National Headquarters 
of the VFW for their approval.




David Olmsted
Commander
Gus Forbes Post 1927
Woodland, WA 98674



--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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