Lawsuit by Friends of Little Orchard Park to head to court

Judge denies city’s request to dismiss neighborhood organization’s suit

Altoona Mirror, July 29, 2025

A Blair County judge Monday overruled the city’s preliminary objections to a lawsuit by a neighborhood group that seeks to keep the city from building homes on Orchard Park in Logantown — setting up a pre-trial conference for September.

David Consiglio’s ruling is based on the city having failed to make it “clear and free from doubt that (Orchard Park on the 200 block of Beech Avenue) was not dedicated to public use” — as the Friends of Little Orchard Park claim it was.

The Friends’ claim is based on the state’s Donated or Dedicated Property Act (DDPA), which requires that municipalities obtain permission from their county’s Orphans Court to decommission dedicated parkland, even if such dedication was only implied. . . .

Represented by attorneys Timothy Fitchett, Michael Parker and Erin Brind’Amour, the neighborhood group is asking for a permanent injunction against the city plan.

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water being poured into a glass

In a state where far more people get their drinking water from private companies than the national average, Pittsburgh voters will decide this month whether to ensure their water and sewer service remains publicly owned and operated. . .

“We really should protect water as a public resource rather than allowing it to become a commodity for profit,” said Brooke Christy, an Equal Justice Works fellow at Fair Shake, a Pittsburgh nonprofit law firm that supports the referendum. 

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Image from City Paper, Credit Mars Johnson

Pittsburgh's summer growing season is weeks away, but Food for the Soul Community Farm in Manchester might not make it to harvest. . .

Lunsford-Evans could seek to purchase the lots directly from the city and URA directly at a “fair market price” — roughly $40,000 — but to do so, she would need to work with a professional real estate agent and get the approval of City Council. According to Brooke Christy, a lawyer at Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, Council is unlikely to approve a sale if the Council representative for that district — in this case, Lavelle — opposes the sale.

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Voters in May will decide the future of Pittsburgh’s water

The Homepage, March 30, 2025

A referendum set to appear on the May 20 ballot asks whether Pittsburgh should make a rule that keeps its water and sewer system — currently owned by the city — from being sold to private companies. . .

Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services was part of the coalition that drafted the proposed rule. Brooke Christy, a lawyer with Fair Shake, wrote in a March 14 text, “I'm grateful for the chance to support this community-driven ballot referendum, especially at a time when public services and environmental justice are under attack.”

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Building A Better Table’ Unites Community Partners to Boost Civic Engagement

Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, October 31, 2023

Community building blocks displayed on table at event

Community strengths

The key to any thriving community is having residents that are engaged at all levels and work hard to make where they live the best it can be. But what if people don’t know where to even start doing that work? A local coalition is working to build that knowledge base and foster a new generation of resident leaders.  

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two people sitting in a library attentively listening

Participants in the Parkersburg Community Ambassador Program

Attendees will be trained as “Community Ambassadors.”Community Ambassadors will identify the issues they care about, and how decisions are made about those issues. They will also learn how they can use their strengths to turn their community vision into action.

The Ambassador Community is a way for everyone to be involved — especially those who care deeply about their city but are unsure where to start to help their neighborhood.

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Picture This: Harvest the Vision

Parkersburg News & Sentinel, September 25, 2023

PARKERSBURG — Nearly 20 organizations and agencies gathered at the Boys & Girls Club of Parkersburg Sunday afternoon for a Harvest the Vision event.

Organized by the nonprofit District 4 Community Action; the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, which advocates for conservation of the state’s waterways; and Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, a nonprofit Pittsburgh law firm, the event was intended as a way for people to learn what resources are available in the community while also looking at ways to improve it. It included food, games and live music, as well as different groups discussing their services.

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WTAP: People in the Mid-Ohio Valley came together to enjoy music and talk about the future of their communities this afternoon.

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - The second annual Harvest the Vision Music Festival took place at the Parkersburg Boys and Girls Club on Sunday afternoon.

As people danced to live music and play games, they also learned about different community organizations. Groups present at the festival included Westbrook Health Services, the Wood County Solid Waste Authority, and Jobs and Hope West Virginia.

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Wellsville residents discuss improving local government

WFMJ, September 14, 2923

The organization hopes to get everyone on the same page, and bridge the gap between municipality and the residents.

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Proposed site of Thunder Mountain medical waste facility

Waste-to-energy incinerators have been lauded as an eco-friendly alternative to landfills. But in West Virginia, residents near a proposed medical waste incinerator site have raised concerns about a lack of transparency in the approval process and possible negative environmental and health effects.

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Negotiating community benefits, like those with Shell in Beaver County, takes a village. So does mitigating harm

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, July 31, 2023

What is learned in Beaver County could help inform how a community can harness not just compensation but a voice in future projects.

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Wellsville Meeting Planned by River Valley Organizing

Mahoning Matters, July 21, 2023

To educate residents about how to protect their health and wellbeing, River Valley Organizing (RVO) and Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services will host a community meeting at 6 p.m., July 22 at the Wellsville VFW, 359 Main Street.

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Local nonprofit groups join together to help community

Youngstown WKBN - July 17, 2023

The Building A Better Table coalition has hosted several community events. Their most recent event is a three-part series, featuring leaders who have led change initiatives.

The coalition wants to provide people with the tools they need to make a difference in their community.

“Really, we just want everyone to realize they have power, and that, that can be channeled to make change at any level,” explained Community Foundation’s Community Relations and Engagement Coordinator Josh Medore.

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Community Matters: Community Benefits Agreements at the intersection of hope, imagination and strategy

Beaver County Times, July 9, 2023

“The communities of tomorrow are very likely to be those who – on the back of increasingly robust Community Benefit Agreements – learn to enflame community hope, provoke community imagination, and develop community strategy for a different kind of future.”

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“…In the next couple of months, RiverWise and Fair Shake will build upon this event by holding progressively more public and involved gatherings aimed at growing our collective capacity to create meaningful Community Benefit Coalitions that can bring tangible benefits to communities around Beaver County…”.

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Legal Clinic Held to Help East Palestine REsidents

Morning Journal, June 12, 2023

River Valley Organizing (RVO) in collaboration with lawyers from Community Legal Aid, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, Case Western Reserve University Environmental and Health Law Clinics, and the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) held a legal clinic in East Palestine on Saturday to help residents navigate through the turbulent waters created in the wake of February’s Norfolk Southern train derailment.

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…Being a part of the Community Democracy Program has been an empowering experience for her. Coleen said that the power of being in a group helps you make more of an impact.

“When you’re kind of a free agent doing these things on your own you can have an impact but the scope is very narrow. Here’s the question of collective bargaining and the empowerment that comes from group and community and that’s kind of the backbone of what we’re trying to capitalize on here,” she said…

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This is a screenshot from WTAP news coverage of community event. Displays several people talking.

The area’s first Community Democracy Ambassador Program took place Saturday at the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library’s Emerson branch. Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania organized the event.

Organizers believe the program provides an opportunity for Parkersburg residents to turn their vision for community improvement into action.

Click here to view full article and new video coverage.


”Meagan Niebler represented Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services at the event, a law firm that provides pro bono legal services to people facing environmental harm.

She said events like this help build community connections.

“Having an environment that lets us all be together and build up community together. We know opportunities for young folks to get involved and have their voices be heard is also really important here in Parkersburg.”

Click here to view full article.

Harvest the Vision set for Sunday in Parkersburg

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, November 4, 2022

Parkersburg, West Virginia

Along with music from Elev8 Nation and Shalie, free food and family activities, Parkersburg City Councilwoman Wendy Tuck sees the Harvest the Vision Music Fest planned for Sunday afternoon as an opportunity for folks to talk. “This is a really very informal, ‘kitchen table’ conversations,’ she said. “What I’m really excited about is just a vision of what a city or neighborhood could be.”

The oil and gas industry produces radioactive waste. lots of it

Rolling Stone, July 21, 2021


Massive amounts of radioactive waste brought to the surface by oil and gas wells have overwhelmed the industry and the state and federal agencies that regulate it, according to a report released today by the prominent environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council. The waste poses “significant health threats,” including the increased risk of cancer to oil and gas workers and their families and also nearby communities.

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“We know that the waste has radioactive elements, we know that it can have very high and dangerous levels, we know that some of the waste gets into the environment, and we know that people who live or work near various oil and gas sites are exposed to the waste. What we don’t know are the full extent of the health impacts,” says Amy Mall, an analyst with NRDC who has been researching oilfield waste for 15 years and is a co-author on the report.

NRDC and Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services conducted an analysis of the regulations for radioactivity in oil and gas waste in the 12 largest oil- and gas-producing states in the country for this report.

On the move: staff additions and location changes at Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services

We are incredibly excited to announce the addition of three staff members at Fair Shake ELS! On March 1, 2021, Michael Parker joined us as Supervising Attorney after serving the public as Allegheny County Health Department’s Solicitor for the last 4 years. Michael brings a wealth of environmental and administrative law, policy and litigation experience to Fair Shake ELS.

Sophia Al Rasheed joined Fair Shake ELS’ practice on the same date as a Resident Attorney looking to build her environmental and energy law practice to increase access to justice for modest means clients.

On May 15, 2021, Karen Bassler will join Fair Shake ELS as our Community Democracy Program Manager. Karen’s experience in community planning, program development, nonprofit consulting and community engagement will allow us to bring a model of community-centered planning to the Appalachian Basin.

***

In addition, we transitioned each of our offices to a virtual work environment to allow employees greater flexibility in practicing in the places that we serve. Our mailing addresses are as follows:

PITTSBURGH: 6425 Living Place, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15206; Main Line: (412) 664-5546

CLEVELAND: 600 Superior Ave East, Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH 44114; Main Line: (234) 901-2438

PHILADELPHIA: 100 South Juniper, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107; Main Line: (234) 255-8498

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NOVEMBER 4, 2020

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