Hoping to be on TV, anti-quarry protesters rally during a break from the April 26 hearing on Granite Construction's proposed Liberty Quarry project held at Rancho Community Church in Temecula.
- In late April, more than 1,000 peoplepacked into a church in Temecula to witness the start of the Riverside County Planning Commission's review of Granite Construction's Liberty Quarry project.
That review, which featured 50 hours of public testimony presented during six meetings held over the course of eight months, riveted thousands of people in Southwest County for much of the year.
Most of those in attendance were passionately opposed to the project, and they made that abundantly clear by their comments, saying the quarry would sink property values and degrade the area's air quality.
Late in the year, the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce voted to oppose the project, a victory for opponents who had long sought the chamber's help.
There also were fans of the project, a group that included union members, who urged the commission to create jobs and boost the economy by approving the mine, a 135-acre aggregate rock quarry proposed for land on Temecula's southern border.
To accommodate all of the people who wanted to speak and to allow the commission members to question experts, the commission scheduled follow-up hearings and meetings.
This review process was eventually wrapped up in December, with the commission voting to finalize the denial of the project.
After the vote, there was a round of applause by the small number of people who had driven to Riverside for the meeting. Granite representatives have appealed, setting the stage for a review of the project by the county Board of Supervisors in 2012.
Although the crowd for that final meeting ---- the culmination of days of testimony and debate ---- was small, opponents predict the crowd that greets the board will be massive.
Jerri Arganda of Rainbow, one of the leaders of the opposition forces, said people will be coming out of the woodwork to line up against the quarry, no matter where the first meeting is held.
She's predicting a crowd that rivals or surpasses the audience for that first commission hearing, which she estimated at close to 2,000.
"I don't think that's going to stop anyone," she said, talking about the possibility of the hearing being held in Riverside. "If we have to, we'll get buses and send them up to Riverside. ... I think people are going to make the difference."
In addition to the folks expected to show up, Arganda said opponents will deliver thousands of signature cards from people opposed to the project.
With the crowd and the cards, Arganda said she hopes the board sees the depth of opposition and votes to defeat the project.
"That would be the perfect ending," she said.
Granite representatives would beg to differ, however, and they said the company is looking forward to getting a "fair hearing" by the board in 2012.
Asked about its strategy going forward, Granite project manager Gary Johnson said all the ammunition the company needs to see the project approved is in the environmental impact report prepared by the county.
That report recommended approval of the project, a recommendation that was not heeded by the commission.
"It's all in there," he said, talking about the huge stack of technical studies and reports that made up the environmental report.
Most of those in attendance were passionately opposed to the project, and they made that abundantly clear by their comments, saying the quarry would sink property values and degrade the area's air quality.
Late in the year, the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce voted to oppose the project, a victory for opponents who had long sought the chamber's help.
There also were fans of the project, a group that included union members, who urged the commission to create jobs and boost the economy by approving the mine, a 135-acre aggregate rock quarry proposed for land on Temecula's southern border.
To accommodate all of the people who wanted to speak and to allow the commission members to question experts, the commission scheduled follow-up hearings and meetings.
This review process was eventually wrapped up in December, with the commission voting to finalize the denial of the project.
After the vote, there was a round of applause by the small number of people who had driven to Riverside for the meeting. Granite representatives have appealed, setting the stage for a review of the project by the county Board of Supervisors in 2012.
Although the crowd for that final meeting ---- the culmination of days of testimony and debate ---- was small, opponents predict the crowd that greets the board will be massive.
Jerri Arganda of Rainbow, one of the leaders of the opposition forces, said people will be coming out of the woodwork to line up against the quarry, no matter where the first meeting is held.
She's predicting a crowd that rivals or surpasses the audience for that first commission hearing, which she estimated at close to 2,000.
"I don't think that's going to stop anyone," she said, talking about the possibility of the hearing being held in Riverside. "If we have to, we'll get buses and send them up to Riverside. ... I think people are going to make the difference."
In addition to the folks expected to show up, Arganda said opponents will deliver thousands of signature cards from people opposed to the project.
With the crowd and the cards, Arganda said she hopes the board sees the depth of opposition and votes to defeat the project.
"That would be the perfect ending," she said.
Granite representatives would beg to differ, however, and they said the company is looking forward to getting a "fair hearing" by the board in 2012.
Asked about its strategy going forward, Granite project manager Gary Johnson said all the ammunition the company needs to see the project approved is in the environmental impact report prepared by the county.
That report recommended approval of the project, a recommendation that was not heeded by the commission.
"It's all in there," he said, talking about the huge stack of technical studies and reports that made up the environmental report.
Call staff writer Aaron Claverie at 951-676-4315, ext. 2624.
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