COALITION OPPOSES HUNDREDS OF ADDITIONAL MINING TRUCKS ON SCENIC HIGHWAY 33
Public Comments Due January 31 on Proposed Sand & Gravel Mine;
Town Meeting Scheduled for January 30 in Ojai
A coalition of local landowners, business leaders, forest advocates, school officials, and others have joined forces to oppose plans by a new mine to add hundreds of haul trucks on Scenic Highway 33. The groups will conduct a public meeting on Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00pm at the Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Street in Ojai to inform the community about this issue.
The topic of the meeting is the Diamond Rock Sand and Gravel mine, proposed for the remote Cuyama Valley near the Ventura County Line. The project applicant is seeking a 30-year permit to extract 500,000 tons of aggregate per year from the Cuyama River in Santa Barbara County. Many of the trucks from this mine would travel south on Scenic Highway 33 towards Ventura. The County of Santa Barbara is accepting public comments on the proposal until January 31.
The new mine could add as many as 138 daily truck trips through popular recreation areas in the Los Padres National Forest, as well as nearby communities like Ojai, Meiner’s Oaks, Ventura, and Casitas Springs. When added to existing truck traffic, this could result in one truck every four minutes during peak production, according to a Draft Environmental Impact Report released last month.
“I’m fully supportive of the need for gravel mines and the transportation of those materials in a safe and appropriate manner, but not when the consequence is the destruction of Ojai's tourist based economy,” said Howard Smith, Chairman of the Board of the Ventura County Economic Development Association and whose property borders the highway. “The proposed steady parade of gravel trucks zigzagging down the mountains would trash our local economy. Who is going to come to stay at our hotels, relax at a spa, camp, hike, cycle in the mountains or even shop or dine outdoors while being assaulted by the endless noise and fumes of double-hopper gravel trucks barreling down what is supposed to be a scenic highway?”
The route is designated as a California State Scenic Highway and a National Forest Scenic Byway, one of only four such highways in all of southern California.
“Highway 33 is a narrow, winding mountain road that takes travelers through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the region,” said Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch. “Hundreds more trucks rumbling through the heart of the Los Padres National Forest would interfere with people who come here to enjoy the quiet backcountry.”
Decision makers are also considering proposals to increase two existing sand and gravel mines near the Diamond Rock site. If approved, these mine expansions – GPS River Rock Products in Santa Barbara County, and the Ozena Sand & Gravel mine in Ventura County– could add even more trucks to Scenic Highway 33.
“Much of what attracts visitors to this valley are the natural recreational facilities surrounding us,” said Scott Eicher, chief executive officer of the Ojai Chamber of Commerce. “Predominate among them is the Los Padres National Forest, and specifically the Sespe Wilderness area. As tales of gravel truck near-misses increase, the number of visitors coming to the Ojai to camp and hike in the Sespe will drop.”
The haul trucks would travel past Nordhoff High School in northern Ojai, prompting district officials to voice their concerns about student safety. The school board recently voted to send a letter to County officials opposing the Diamond Rock mine, as did the Ojai City Council.
The January 30 meeting is free and open to the public. It will include a photo slide show, representatives from the community, and information on how local residents can voice their concerns. Featured speakers include Scott Eicher, CEO of the Ojai Chamber of Commerce; Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch; Tim Baird, Superintendent of the Ojai School District; Carol Smith, Ojai Mayor; and Highway 33 residents from Ojai and Cuyama. It begins at 7:00pm at the Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave. in Ojai.
Jeff Kuyper, Executive Director
Los Padres ForestWatch
Post Office Box 831
Santa Barbara, CA 93102
805.252.4277
jeff@LPFW.org
ForestWatch is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working
to protect and restore the natural and cultural heritage of
the Los Padres National Forest and other public lands along
California's Central Coast. Join us today at www.LPFW.org
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Email Contacts:
Gary Kaiser at the Santa Barbara Planning & Development Department
gkaiser@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
or by US Mail at:
Gary Kaiser
624 W. Foster Road
Santa Maria, CA 93455
(805) 934-6259 or by fax at (805) 934-6258
Santa Barbara County Supervisors:
jcenteno@co.santa-barbara.ca.us ; jgray@co.santa-barbara.ca.us ; bfirestone@co.santa-barbara.ca.us ; srose@co.santa-barbara.ca.us ; SupervisorCarbajal@sbcbos1.org
Santa Barbara News Press Email Address:
tarmstrong@newspress.com ; avw@newspress.com ; wmccaw@newspress.com ; voices@newspress.com
Ventura County Star:
letters@venturacountystar.com
mratcliff@venturacountystar.com
Ventura County Supervisors:
steve.bennett@ventura.org ; linda.parks@ventura.org; kathy.long@ventura.org ; john.flynn@ventura.org
Ojai Valley News:
bret@ojaivalleynews.com
Ojai City Council & City Manager:
smith@ci.ojai.ca.us; devito@ci.ojai.ca.us; horgan@ci.ojai.ca.us; hanstad@ci.ojai.ca.us; olsen@ci.ojai.ca.us;
Pacific Coast Business Times:
hadubroff@aol.com
State Assembly:
Assemblymember.Nava@assembly.ca.gov; Assemblymember.Strickland@assembly.ca.gov;
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Comments (3)
What if city council put as much dedication into preventing chain franchises and protecting small town feel from over-development
and big buildout,developer interests, as they did on the gravel truck increase? Same quality of life issues, environmental protection that can galvonize community quickly, pertaining to managing growth on horizon.
Comment #1 Posted by: pete lafollette | January 26, 2007 10:58 AM
Why can't they just get the gravel somewhere else?
Comment #2 Posted by: Brian | January 30, 2007 09:40 PM
I am very discouraged at the way the post deleted the proponets of mining and the fact that all the comments that supported mining are no longer availble for readers to reveiw I am also starting to belive this is the authors personal agenda and is not responsible reporting the post should represent all veiws and concerns not just those of individuals with agendas.
Comment #3 Posted by: alejandra ashford | April 2, 2007 05:09 PM