8/3/2007 6:20:14 PM

Shame on Granite Construction!

As Granite Construction’s perky Karie Reuther chirped dishonestly in the July 26 Californian front page article, which described the outrage in Temecula about the rogue company’s planned invasion of our proud, beautiful community: “A chiropractor answering air quality questions [is] ridiculous.” Say what, Karie!?

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) are respected scientists who during their June 26 Temecula Library forum described deadly diesel fume microscopic particulates emanating from Granite’s 1,400 daily mining trucks and mining machinery. Three hundred thousand area citizens – from Temecula, Murrieta, Fallbrook, Bonsall and Rainbow – would suffer severe health effects, and death.

Penny Newman, who came to the July 25 Temeku Hills Town Hall quarry meeting, was dismissed as a “community activist.” Oops! Actually, she’s the executive director of the powerful Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) in Riverside.

Deadly, microscopic, razor-sharp silica particles released into the prevailing winds in our valley were compared to the photographs of dust clouds over Corona quarries.

A review of Granite’s whoppers:

1. Temecula, a little trailer park, deserves quarries and landfills. (Actually, we’re the number-one California town in wealth out of 79 towns with populations of 75,000 to 125,000 people.)

2. Dynamite blasting is silent and harmless and never causes rockslides on highways. (Google that lie.)

3. Bright night lights are invisible (or prettier than dark, starry night skies).

4. Asphalt plants are odorless.

5. Granite’s quiet little Indio plant is identical to the raucous monster planned for Temecula. (Or, a pussycat is a Bengal tiger.)

6. Riverside County gains $2,000,000 annual taxes from the quarry. But real estate experts estimate billions lost in property values, so Riverside loses much more on lower real estate taxes, all while Granite makes $40,000,000 a year ($3 billion over 75 years).

Cowardly Granite scurried away two days before the long-planned July 25 quarry information meeting at Temeku Hills spinning that nasty homeowners would “hijack the session” (that’s Granite-speak for airing truth). Sponsored golf tournaments, gifts to the right charities, power law firms and secret strategic political largesse will lose to the fury of the true power: angry, victimized residents.

Get involved or lose!


Nick Biddle

Temecula

8/10/2007 3:18:26 PM

High diesel area – breathing may be hazardous to your health

The July 25 meeting at Temeku Hills was planned by the HOA to inform homeowners and surrounding communities about the quarry. Granite Construction and SDSU were invited to speak. SOS-Hills was involved from the beginning. Granite was informed about every detail of the meeting. All communication was documented. There were no “surprises.” The meeting picked up momentum as people were informed. Hundreds of people received e-mails, fliers, phone calls.

Forty-eight hours before the meeting, Granite backed out! Retreated without so much as a “white flag.” “Granite did not realize this was a public meeting,” said Karie Reuther. NOT true. She also stated, “We believe SOS-Hills’ participation will detract from an open and objective discussion.” Huh? I thought that was why there were two sides.

Personally, I understand why Granite made this choice. It would be difficult to give accurate answers with no facts to back them up. A tough spot to be in, for sure.

Temeku Hills HOA canceled the meeting. Hundreds of people were expected. What about the people?

SOS-Hills, at great expense, with the help of Rainbow Against The quarry, stepped in! They rented the hall, assumed expenses and went forward with the meeting… for ONE reason only: the people showing up had a right to be informed.

Nearly 300 people showed up. It was a tremendous success! The speakers were knowledgeable and informed. Some important information came from Penny Nolan (Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice). She spoke about the severe health threat of diesel exhaust particulate pollution. This pollution, along with silica dust, is ultra-fine particles that pass through cells into the heart, the blood and have been proven to enter the placenta of an unborn child.

Quarries built in communities change the way people look at that community. It is no longer rolling hills and beautiful wine country. It becomes an “industrial” area, a “dumping ground” for more of the same (quarries, hazardous waste sites and the like).

If someone tells you often enough “You won’t see it, hear it, feel it,” you may actually start to believe it. Don’t.


Jerri Arganda

The Granite Construction spinmeisters must have been burning the midnight oil to come up with such inaccurate comments as they expected Save Our Southwest Hills to "hijack" an informational meeting between Granite and an opposing speaker to be held at the Temeku Hills Community Center and sponsored by the Temeku Hills Homeowners Association.

The rules for this meeting were clearly set by the Temeku Hills HOA and known to both parties well in advance. Granite would speak and answer questions, the speaker chosen by SOS-Hills would speak and answer questions, and the entire session would be moderated by a neutral party.

Because the speaker we chose would give information on a narrow series of concerns, the only request SOS-Hills made to the HOA was to have several other knowledgeable individuals in the audience who would not speak, but who would be able to answer questions that might arise that may be beyond the speaker's ability to answer. This was also agreed upon. The public also could attend the meeting, and this also was agreed upon.

Then, with 48 hours to go, Granite chose to withdraw from the scheduled meeting, saying the rules had changed and SOS-Hills was going to "hijack" the session and turn an informational meeting into a "fight-the-quarry" meeting.

The Granite representatives are supposed to be schooled in answering questions about their project. Why would they run and hide from legitimate questions that an informational meeting can engender?

SOS-Hills was left holding the bag. Temeku Hills HOA could no longer sponsor the meeting, as they felt it would be one-sided. Since fliers and e-mails had been sent to all the homeowners and the public, there was no way we could cancel the event, so SOS-Hills chose to rent the Temeku Community Center and present our views.

We had to plan the entire event in a very short time. When we announced that Granite had withdrawn, the more than 200 people who attended were upset but grateful that SOS-Hills was there to pick up the pieces. We gave a PowerPoint presentation on where the proposed quarry will be sited and photos of other mining operations in Corona and Indio.

Our speaker was a woman who has made it her life's work to study and lecture on the effects of diesel emissions and dust from mines, and she had the credentials to make this speech. Even though it was a one-sided presentation, not by our choice, many questions were answered and it was the right thing to do.

The loser here is Granite Construction. Now, more than ever, their views on the quarry will be suspect, as they chose not to defend them in a public forum. Withdrawing from this meeting at the last minute was unconscionable. However, those of us who oppose the quarry project have long said that to site it near our family-oriented community of Temecula and the town of Rainbow is unconscionable.

-- Barbara Wilder is on the board of directors of Save Our Southwest Hills