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JENNINGS Carrie A <br /> From: David Gusset <br /> To: Bob Hammitt and Adrian Stansfield in care of JENNINGS Carrie A <br /> Cc: LEE Bobby W; TAYLOR Betty L; TOLLENAAR Ken C; briley; west jefferson; Brian <br /> McCarthy landscape architect; City Manager <br /> Subject: RE: Herbicide spraying in Mulligan Park <br /> Date: Friday, October 03, 1997 12:25PM <br /> Dear Adrian Stansfield, <br /> Thank you for your response to the letter I sent my city councilor, Bobby <br /> Lee. Excuse me if I criticise your effort for not addressing most of the <br /> points of my letter. Good enough for government, isn't good enough for the <br /> health and safety of my family, the community and the environment. <br /> If you do have an official Integrated Pest Management plan (IPM) as you <br /> say, I would appreciate receiving a copy of it. My address is 1611 Lincoln <br /> Street, 97401. <br /> You state that 21 ounces (more than one pound) total, of Roundup was <br /> applied to Mulligan Park over three separate dates during 1997 in less <br /> than 5% of the total area of the park and mostly in the alley along the <br /> the west side of the park in close proximity to my property. Why wasn't I <br /> notified in advance? Why weren't signs posted alerting the neighborhood of <br /> those spray applications? And since the city turns its head to vagrants <br /> sleeping in the alley and bushes, it seems only humane to notify those <br /> people as well. <br /> It appears from your responses that you have not read the fact sheet <br /> (available on NCAP's website and referenced in my previous letter below) <br /> on the toxicology and threat to human health and the environment posed by <br /> Monsanto's glyphosate ( "Roundup "). You avoid the subject altogether and <br /> direct your comments to responsibility of the neighbors to carry out park <br /> maintenance. <br /> You are incorrect to say that the full length of the alley from 16th to <br /> 17th Avenues was left 'undeveloped" in the original construction of the <br /> park. That was true for only the south portion of the alley. The north <br /> section of the alley was "improved" by the city and is part of <br /> Cameron /McCarthy's original landscape design for Mulligan Park. <br /> In our phone conversation, you spoke of the use of herbicides as a last <br /> resort. What constitutes a "last resort"? The record of Park Maintenance <br /> Department's use of herbicides in Mulligan Park over the last year appears <br /> to be on a pattern of regular periodic usage rather than as a last resort. <br /> Weeds themselves, do not pose any imminent health or safety threat to <br /> the neighborhood. However, you feel that simply because they are <br /> unsightly, the use of herbicides is justified. Is that justification part <br /> of the IPM? What about the MSDS of most herbicides. Do they warn of <br /> dangers of application on rainy days? <br /> As you mention, neighbors have in the past formed work parties to deal <br /> with some of the pruning, garbage pick -up, and weeding. As you are aware, <br /> I was an active participant in the work parties. I also took over weeding <br /> the north entrance to the park for a couple of years. I'm also proud to <br /> take credit for watering and reviving two large tulip trees (presumed <br /> dead, which are again thriving) in the northwest corner of the park during <br /> the summer the Parks Department cut off water to Mulligan Park. Other <br /> neighbors stretched hoses over Charnelton Street to try and save the trees <br /> on the east side of the park. 19 trees and most of the grass died or were <br /> too far gone to save that summer. You may say that the city did not have <br /> Page 1 <br />