Chancellor William Lantrip has set the trial for 9 a.m., Wednesday, May 30.

We expect the proceedings to take a couple of days.

The hearing will be in the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, and it’s open to the public.

Also, in case you’re wondering, Rogers Group is prohibited from doing any work on the proposed quarry until the trial, although they may work on the portion of the property that is zoned for commercial use.

Our lawsuit contests the legality of Clinton’s zoning of the Rogers Group property for heavy industrial use.

Members of the board are Dail Cantrell, Tim Marema, Elaine Meyer, Jane Stribling, and Patricia Warren.

The board of directors elects officers for the organization. Our president is Patricia Warren and our Secretary and Treasurer is Jane Stribling.

The trial will begin at 9.a.m., Tuesday, May 1, 2012, in Chancery Court in the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. It’s public, and you’re welcome to attend.

The issue in our lawsuit is Clinton’s zoning of the Rogers Group property to M-2, heavy industrial. We’re arguing that the zoning is illegal for several reasons and that the city’s own ordinances do not allow disruptive activities such as rock quarrying and asphalt production.

Preparing for the trial has been a big operation. A group of volunteers has quietly been helping our attorney, Gary Davis, get ready for the court date. These volunteers have been logging hours and miles in support of the cause. Thank you! These contributions of time and energy help contain our costs and improve our case against the City of Clinton and the Rogers Group.

In addition, our attorney has been deposing witnesses who may be part of the proceedings. It’s a meticulous and time-consuming process. Your financial contributions have made this careful work possible.

We’ve raised about $20,000, and have pledges for more. More than 100 families have contributed during this most recent drive. In addition to one-time gifts, we’re also receiving payments toward larger pledges and monthly contributions.

We’re deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed time, money, and services to the cause.

Because we’re a volunteer organization with no staff, we don’t always do a great job of telling you how much we appreciate your generous contributions. But please know that we are grateful, and that your gifts make a tremendous difference. Our ability to take our case to trial May 1 is a direct result of the faithful and generous gifts you have given to this effort.

Also, we want you to know exactly how your money is being used. At this point, nearly every dollar is going to legal fees for the trial. (The only recent exception is that we purchased the food that was used in our benefit supper last month.)

Individuals and their businesses are donating postage, printing, and office supplies to keep our fundraising costs to a bare minimum. If there’s a way to economize, that’s what we do. The only thing we can’t scrimp on is legal help – and that’s where your gifts are making a huge difference.

Although we’re close to our current goal, we’ve still got a ways to go. And we know that our expenses are likely to increase as we move to the trial and any legal activities that lie beyond. If you’ve made a contribution, thank you. If you can, please do. And if you’ve made a pledge, thanks for your commitment for the long haul. Donations may be sent to Citizens for Safety and Clean Air, c/o Jane Stribling, P.O. 547, Norris, TN 37828.

Other unique contributions have come from Dagny Vigander, who hosted a benefit yoga class, and Dave Hughes and a large team of volunteers who prepared the food for our benefit supper in March.

Mary Knepper wrote articles about two of our most faithful monthly donors, Mark Bishop and Marsha Livingston and Ed and Jean McEleney. These families have contributed every month to Citizens for Safety and Clean Air for years. There are several other families who contribute in this manner, and it’s made a huge difference in our ability to pay legal bills over the years. Thanks!

Liz McGeachy and Tim Marema (Liz&Tim) did a fundraising concert Friday, April 13, in the Norris Pavilion. About 50 or so folks attended and contributed more than $600. Thanks to all who attended and made this such a great community event. It was a beautiful, quiet, sweet evening – just the sort of outdoor activity our campaign is attempting to preserve for eastern Anderson County.

The class raised money for the legal fund of Citizens for Safety and Clean Air. Thanks, Dagny, for help raise awareness and funds for the cause of stopping the proposed quarry and asphalt plant.

More than 100 families have donated funds to the current campaign. And others, like Dagny, are finding innovative ways to contribute their talents for community benefit.

Thank you, one and all. Together, we’re doing what we could never do separately.

That’s what’s on the menu for the March 16 benefit supper at the Museum of Appalachia.

Chef David Hughes has again volunteered to plan and prepare the menu.

The event will raise funds for the Citizens for Safety and Clean Air and our fight to stop the Rogers Group from building an asphalt plant and quarry in Bethel, behind Rocky Top Market.

The fundraising supper will begin at 6:30 in the Museum’s banquet hall. The suggested donation is $10 per person.

Tickets are available outside the Norris post office this Saturday morning, March 10, or from Victoria Stribling (494-5580 or rickvick@bellsouth.net). (You may also contact Victoria if you’d like to volunteer to help with the dinner.)

Proceeds from the event will benefit the legal fund of the Citizens for Safety and Clean Air. We’re in the midst of a major fundraising campaign to add $25,000 to our legal fund in preparation for a May 1 trial against Rogers Group and Clinton for their zoning of the Rogers Group property in Bethel.

We’re well over halfway toward reaching our goal, thanks to generous contributions from residents and businesses of Bethel, Norris, and other communities.
Our fundraising suppers are a popular way to contribute to the cause, enjoy food and fellowship, and hear the latest about the legal efforts to stop the Rogers Group.

We hope you can attend and bring your neighbors.

The campaign to stop the Rogers Group rolls on.

We’re getting ready to kick off our fundraising campaign in earnest. But in the meantime, gifts and pledges are still coming in from our initial announcement. We’re now more than half way to our goal of adding $25,000 to our legal war chest.

In the coming weeks, Citizens for Safety and Clean Air will have some events, such as a fundraising dinner at the Museum of Appalachia. If you’d like to help, see the note below. We’re still nailing down the date for the dinner. Expect an announcement soon. Chef David Hughes has volunteered his talents again, so it’s bound to be a treat.

And in the meantime, we have a flier and contribution form for you to use or to share with friends. This information is also posted on our website, www.eastanderson.com.

And, if you’re on Facebook, you can find Citizens for Safety and Clean Air there, too.

Many of you have asked how you can help. So here are some things we need:

• Goodwill ambassadors. It’s important that we share information about the campaign directly with people we know. Here’s a flier and a donation form. You may print this out or forward it via email. Here are the high points:
o We have stopped the Rogers Group from any further work on the quarry until our trial.
o We have a strong legal case against Clinton and the Rogers Group over the way they zoned the property.
o We have other legal and regulatory challenges pending against the quarry, but this is our best opportunity at this time.
o We’ll have our day in court May 1, 2012. The trial will be in the Anderson County Chancery Court in the county courthouse in Clinton.
o Tax deductible donations go directly to legal fees and other direct expenses for the trial.

• Dinner volunteers. We’re planning a fundraising dinner in March at the Museum of Appalachia. Victoria Stribling is helping get volunteers lined up for this event (thanks, Victoria!). If you’d like to volunteer, please contact her directly, so she’ll know to be in touch with you when there is work to be done. Her email address is rickvick@bellsouth.net.

• Mailing list changes and additions. If you want to update your email address or add your address, please let me know. tmarema@gmail.com or stoprogersnow@gmail.com

• Web support. I need someone who can help update the WordPress installation on our website (www.eastanderson.com) and perform some other simple “under the hood” adjustments. Also, I need help setting up a new listserv or other email-based communication program to streamline these email updates. If you know anything about Internet applications, content management systems, social media, html, or any other technical stuff like that, I would really appreciate a hand.

• Writers and photographers. If you’re interested in writing short articles, taking photographs, or helping in other ways with communications, please let me know. We have more ideas than fingers and could really use the help.

Thanks for your interest and help. And thanks for being part of this important community-supported initiative.

Sincerely,

Tim Marema
for Citizens for Safety and Clean Air
A nonprofit, volunteer organization
www.eastanderson.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Citizens-for-Safety-and-Clean-Air/235696953181695

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: To change, add, or remove your email from this list, contact Tim Marema, Citizens for Safety and Clean Air, P.O. 547, Norris, TN 37828. tmarema@gmail.com

Please share these materials (a one-page fact sheet about our legal fight and a pledge form) with your friends and neighbors.

And if you haven’t made a generous contribution, please consider doing so.

To reach our goal, we need gifts of every size.

Many of our members have dug deep and given $250, $500, and $1,000. All gifts are useful and appreciated. To maximize your ability to give, please consider making a pledge and paying monthly for the next three or four months. That’s how individual citizens like us can stand up to a large, multi-state corporation such as the Rogers Group.

There will be more information and events in the future. But in the meantime, keep spreading the word. Thanks!