Broadview Heights and Downtown Cleveland

Broadview Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. Dorothy Faller, my host family took me there to meet Tish O’Dell, from Madison (Mothers Against Drilling in Our Neighborhoods).
As you can see, we have another town where another organization  is struggling with natural gas issues. So what is the problem here ?

Well, in the city and the surroundings , as Tish was telling us, there are approximately 90 wells – that means that 25% of the City surface area is occupied by Oil/gas wells (well sites are at least 20 acres and are not perfect squares).

Most well sites include their own storage tanks.  The city has vested interest or total owner-ship in about 15 wells

I’ve got one flyer from Tish that says the following : „Over 75 years ago, our Supreme Court held that communities have the RIGHT to enact local laws to protect „public health, safety, morals and general welfare”.  What Broadview Heights citizens want is to take back control on their city.

They proposed a Bill of Rights – Issue 29, that citizens of Broadview Heights can vote for during the general elections. YES for the Bill. What is the Bill about ?

Shall Article II of the Charter of the City of Broadview Heights be amended to add a Community Bill of Rights which provides for the right to pure water, clean air, peaceful enjoyment of home, the existence of natural communities, a sustainable energy future and self goverment by banning most commercial oil and natural gas extraction as well as the storage, transportation or depositing of oil and gas drilling waste products within the city of Broadview Heights ?

YES is the answer 🙂

We talked about many other issues that the community is  confronting, what is the local authorities position on the issue, and how different companies  have strategies in order to facilitate the process of drilling in communities. They  are very smart ! They go first to schools, churches and townships to ask for leasing land. They know these institutions need money, and also know that once they convinced them to lease, it will be much more easier to convince the ordinary people.

This is how I found out, how natural gas is extracted right close to churches or right in the middle of the picnic area of high schools. Personally, it was a shock for me.

After meeting Madion, I went the Dorothy and Dolph downtown Cleveland where  I got the chance to visit the new building of MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland). Afterwards I’ve been with Vanessa from Neogap and her husband to the Cleveland Orchestra.

It is said that the Cleveland Orchestra is one of the best in the world. Well, I got this evening to listen to STRAVINSKY – Pétrouchka, PAULUS – Violin Concerto No. 3 (WORLD PREMIERE)
and RAVEL – Rapsodie espagnole! Impressive ! Not to mention the beautiful art deco hall !

 

MOCA.

 

 

 

 

Day one. „We don’t want to wear you out”

Diary

Day one. „We don’t want to wear you out !”

Few days before going to USA, at the Professional Fellows programe  of the US State Department,through the Great Lakes Consortium for International Training and Development.

As it is an informal storytelling process, patterns of describing my experience encountering American culture willbe slightly different. and very complex patterns, as I’ll have the opportunity to find some quite interesting American people. And quite a lot. 🙂 And NEOGAP is responsible for this. 🙂 Thank you !

In a more concrete way part of the experience in Cleveland area will include :

-Short speaking engagement at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River, Ohio.
at the „Morning Forum” – informal remarks about the Romanian context in regard to fracking.This will include : parts of legislation (law 544/2001, HG 2004 – governamental deciision that give licence to Private Companies to start processes of exploration and exploatation of shale gas, about local authorities and the encountered problems.The informing campaign that Vira Ngo started was with lot of learnings) – October 14.

My disertation paper coordinator would laugh reading this. in his belief fracking is a very complex process, thus the process of getting the information and digesting it should be carefully managed. and his question, how can you translate this complex process to ordinary people that never heard of fracking? and now I’m asking myself a similar question : how can I address the encountered process of learning in frackingto people living in the rural area of Vaslui county? community organizing might be an answer. but how does it work community orgazing in a village, with mostly old population living in poverty? Based on national data, Vaslui county is the poorest in the country(population density 86/km2).most of the people in the rural area work agriculture (subsistance). Almost 400 villages take their water supplies from  ground water supplies through  their 21000 wells, through traditional wells. must I mention that this year was a drought season?

– Gwen, is planning something in Portage County – on 18th of October, mentioning that „this is a time when Ohiois in the midst of the shale gas boom”. I am wondering how it is to be in the Ravenna City Park of Dreams.

– On the schedule there will be some spending time with Broadview Heights group, Madison, who have  started a ban on fracking. Don’t ask for more details. More surprises and knowledge to come soon.:)

– Door to door informing campaign.Talking with people about fracking.

-Township Trustee meeting- Monday October 15 at 7:00. soon i’ll have some minutes from a prior meeting.I remember of Bucharest township meetings, with Oprescu mayor, an independent candidate, that keeps citizens in a separate room, connected with plasma and cameras at what is happening at the meeting. Call this democracy and participation? And this is happening in Bucharest, european capital.

– Saturday , October 13, might go see „Koch Brothers Exposed ” film.

But first I have to experience all this and tell you more. Keep you updated!