Communities Against Pala Raceway Noise

Communities Against Pala Raceway Noise

Update:  February 13, 2012

During our community meeting on January 21, 2012, it was decided that two further meetings would be held.

• Tom Casey, Bud Swanson and Mila Bonner would meet with Ryan Ouellette to further discuss the noise issue.
• Eli Vedagiri, Sheridan Traner and Dee DiPietro would meet with Shasta Gaughen, Environmental Director, Pala Band of Mission Indians with to see how the tribe could assist in reaching resolution.

Meeting with Ryan Ouellette

Tom Casey and Bud Swanson met with Ryan Ouellette on February 4, 2012 and the main discussion points included:

1.    Configuration of the track to improve noise transference

2.    Importing clay material to better support berms which can absorb noise

3.    Obvious track noise violators

4.    Muffler inserts and muffler packing. Noise reduction.

5.    Track noise monitoring equipment. Recognizing and flagging violators

6.    Noise cancellation equipment

7.    No more national events

8.    Pledge for a good neighbor policy from Pala Raceway

9.    Formulation of Noise Committee 

However, on Wednesday 2/8, it was discovered by Mr. Linn (our attorney) that Mr. Ouellette’s corporation had indeed filed bankruptcy (proceedings announced on 1/21) and the statements he made on Saturday 2/4 about future operations at the Raceway were perhaps without authority the company moving forward.  The raceway is now either owned or headed by Chuck Perrault. 

Meeting with Shasta Gaughen, Environmental Director, Pala Band of Mission Indians

Eli Vedagiri, Sheridan Traner and Dee DiPietro met with Shasta Gaughen on February 10, 2012.  The communities affected by the noise from Pala Raceway requested assistance from the Pala Band of Mission Indians, as raceway lease holder and a good neighbor, for reaching the following community positions:

1.    Community Relations

The communities affected by the noise at Pala Raceway believe that the raceway and the surrounding communities can co-exist peacefully.

§  A good neighbor policy is implicit and expected by the communities surrounding Pala Raceway. We would like information both about the new entity that owns the raceway and what the Pala Band of Mission Indians will include contractually in the lease or permit going forward to help ensure the community positions are achieved.

§  A commitment to an establishment of a committee that includes representatives from the communities affected by raceway noise, Mr. Perrault of Pala Raceway and the Pala Band of Mission Indians by no later than April 1, 2012.

NOTE:  A MEETING IS TARGETED FOR MID-MARCH AT THIS TIME AND MS. GAUGHEN IS FACILITATING SCHEDULING.

2.    Noise from Riders

The communities affected by the noise at Pala Raceway believe that, if the 96dB level were enforced, a significant reduction in the noise levels could be achieved.

• A commitment to both a timeframe for implementation and monitoring protocol for track noise monitoring.
• A commitment to a timeframe for implementation, production plan for muffler inserts and procedure for how noise violators would be handled on a go-forward basis. 
• A guarantee that National Events not return to Pala Raceway.  Furthermore, we would like a guarantee that no other types of events that generate noise, such “monster truck” rallies, will be held at the raceway.

3.    Structural Noise Mitigation

The communities affected by the noise at Pala Raceway feel that, although the raceway has made some improvement to the track configuration, further commitments are needed.

• A guarantee that side-by-sides or Quads do not return to the track.
• A commitment to a timeframe for berm enhancement.
• A commitment to research feasibility including cost and relative effectiveness of further noise mitigation technology.  The community would like a timeframe for completion of the research and a voice in determining if the technology should be adopted by Pala Raceway.

We will send out another update subsequent to the March/April meeting.

POSTON FAMILY WEBSITE & NEEDS

Dear Community:

As noted below, this wonderful website has been set up on behalf of the Poston Family to help keep everyone updated.  It is also a great way to help in any way you can and those ways/needs will be posted by the admin of the site.  I have posted the information regarding Gift Cards there as well.  Please click this site and simply add your name, email and a password and you will be in the site. Your information may remind private if you choose.  This is an efficient way to give the same information to all of the Pastors' family's friends and community from Rainbow to global reaches.  

Graciously,

Jonnie Fox Flanagan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Marissa Uhler <rissa.renee@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 9:09 PM
Subject: [LHH] Loving the Poston Family
To: Jonnie Flanigin <Jonniefox@gmail.com>

Thank you for contacting us to sign up to help the Poston family! We are using this website as a tool to contact all the wonderful volunteers who would like to serve the Poston family and manage the tasks as they become needed. All you need to do is sign in and create a password and then you will become a member. Hopefully this site will be very user friendly; if you should have any questions or would like to be removed from this website, please do not hesitate to contact one of the coordinators. We are here to help you in any way we can. Thank you to all of you who have so generously donated of your time and resources. God Bless each of you!

PRESS ENTERPRISE ARTICLE - 2/5/12

Press-Enterprise Editorial:  Re-site quarry

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE The Press Enterprise

Published: 05 February 2012 01:00 AM

The proposed Liberty Quarry near Temecula is a case of a promising project in the wrong location. The quarry proponents have not made a convincing case that the potential benefits of the mine in this spot outweigh the drawbacks to the nearby region. So Riverside County supervisors should uphold the Planning Commission’s rejection of the quarry plans.

Granite Construction Company proposes to put a 135-acre mine on a 414-acre site south of Temecula and west of Interstate 15, just north of the San Diego County line. The Liberty Quarry would produce aggregate, a type of rock used in construction materials such as cement and asphalt. But neighbors of the proposed mine site, including the city of Temecula and the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, adamantly oppose the project.

The county Planning Commission rejected the quarry proposal last year after five public hearings and nearly 52 hours of testimony. The company appealed that decision to the Board of Supervisors, which could make a decision on the issue on Monday.

Opposing the quarry location is not an easy call. The Press-Enterprise editorial board generally supports business growth and grasps the need for a sufficient source of building materials. The editorial board met with a range of stakeholders in the issue, and understands the concerns on all sides. And much of the discussion is a debate between dueling expert testimony that offers contradictory analyses of the need for and effects of the quarry.

On balance, however, the arguments for the quarry are insufficient to justify a hilltop site surrounded by a tribal reservation, an ecological preserve and a city of more than 101,000 people. Nor should anyone be comfortable with the prospect of a sensitive swath of Riverside County shouldering the burdens of a mine that mainly would serveSan Diego County needs: Granite says two-thirds of the materials from the quarry would go to construction south of the county line.

The demand for necessary building materials does not offer a convincing justification for the proposed site. The region will need more sources of aggregate in the future, but just how much and how soon is a subject of dispute. Granite and Temecula officials, for example, offer competing analyses of the immediacy and need. But even a pressing shortage does not mean that the proposed quarry site is the right solution. The long-term projections assume no other new sources open up, which seems unlikely. And the Temecula location is hardly the only spot in the region where such rock exists.

Nor are the potential economic benefits of the quarry persuasive. The quarry’s study points to a more than $200 million boost to the economy from the project by 2021, and hundreds of millions in new government revenue over the 75-year life of the mine. Yet a competing study says the quarry will result in a cumulative $3.6 billion cost to the region over the next 50 years — leaving residents to guess at which figure is right.

Jobs also are not a reason to push ahead with the current plan. Granite says the quarry will create 99 jobs on site and another 178 related jobs elsewhere. Jobs are welcome, given the region’s high unemployment levels. But there is no guarantee those would be new jobs, and not workers shifted from elsewhere. Nor is there any certainty those would go to local residents.

Riverside County should not chase business away, certainly. But the need for jobs and commerce should not mean abandoning careful planning. Quarries are necessary operations for a growing region — but only if the site makes sense.

TEEN ETIQUETTE CLASS

SUNDAY, JAN. 15TH, 2012 (14-18 Y/O'S)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, 2012 (11-13 Y/O'S)

1:00PM-6:00PM

FOUR COURSE DINNER INCLUDED
INVESTMENT:  $150.00

We will prepare your teen with lessons they will use the rest of their lives.  

They will learn how to proceed with confidence in any social or dining situation.

Topics Covered: (Below is for upper teen class)

General Social Guidelines

• Rules of Introduction
• Handshakes and Eye Contac
  • t
• • 
    

Body Language

• Six Reasons To Improve Your Body Language
• Ways To Improve Your Body Language
• Sitting, Standing, Walking
• 
  

Communication Skills

• Do Nots & Habits That Detract
• Cell Phone Etiquette
• Remembering Names
• Public Speaking Tips
• The “One Minute Speech”
• 
  

Job Interview Skills

• Resumé Writing For Teens
• Sample Resumé
• Job And College Interviews
• Making A Good Impression During Interviews
• Interview Attire
• 7 Steps To Independence
• Performing Well
• Creating A Desirable Image
• They Are Leaders
• Characteristics That Inspire Trust
• Business Interviews (What Certain Employers Expect)
• 
  

Dining Etiquette

• Set Your Place
• Dining Utensils
• Napkin Etiquette
• American & Continental Style Dining
• Silent Service Code (Cutting, Resting, & Closed Position)
• Diagram for Five Course Dinne
• Finger Bowl
• Diagram for Eight Course Dinner
• The Finger Bowl
• Brief Pointers On Table Manners
• Table Talk
• Toasting and Tipping
• Four Course Dining Tutorial Served

• Certificate of Completion, Take Home Study Guide and Graduate Photo included.

Residents meet with the big wigs of Pala!

On Saturday, Jan 21, a community meeting was held at the Rainbow Valley Grange to get updated on individual efforts currently taking place against the noise nuisance caused by Pala Raceway and to organize/coordinate efforts going forward. 

Presentations were given by Eli Vedagiri on the scope of the noise problem; Robert Linn, Partner at Mulvaney, Kahan & Barry, San Diego on the status of legal efforts; Bud Swanson on the Noise Study Report issued by Pala; Tom Casey on the efforts with the County/Supervisor Horn; Dennis Sanford on the Rainbow Planning Commission Group and their efforts with State and Federal concerns; and Dee DiPietro on organizing moving forward.

In addition to 37 members of the community, the meeting was attended by Ryan Ouellette, CEO of the company that runs Pala Raceway.  Mr. Ouellette spoke of a few changes made to the track and his understanding of the noise issue.  However, he did not commit to any actions or a timeline.  As a result, Tom Casey, Bud Swanson and Mila Bonner, as representatives of the community, will be meeting directly with Ryan Ouellette to talk about specific noise reduction measures to be implemented and a timeline for implementation. 

Subsequent to the meeting, an email was sent to Shasta Gaughen, Pala’s environmental director, asking for a meeting with Dee DiPietro, Eli Vedagiri and Sheridan Traner, as community representatives, to discuss how Pala might assist us in resolving the noise nuisance issue.  Ms. Gaughen said that she was meeting with Ryan Ouellette next week to discuss the noise issue among other items and would be reporting to Chairman Smith and the tribal leadership to keep them aware of the issues. She has offered to meet with community representatives subsequent to the tribal leadership meeting with a tentative timeline for mid-February. 

A central group to coordinate various efforts, communicate to the community and focus on putting together an Outreach program to identify the homes and families that are affected by the problem was also proposed at the meeting.  This will be pursued until the noise nuisance issue is resolved, so please contact palaracewaynoise@gmail.com if you are willing to assist with efforts going forward or have any questions.

COUNTY WANTS TO RESTRICT PLANNING GROUPS

This document summarizes a situation that is boiling at
the County level....please post the article and if you can, add a note
asking EVERYONE to read the article and send a letter to the San Diego Board
of Supervisors opposing the action to restrict the Community Planning
Groups.  If the BOS votes to restrict the various planning groups, Rainbow
could be under serious attack from developers and runs of risk of becoming
much less rural.

Thanks.


Dennis A. Sanford
714-299-9865 Cell

PALA RACEWAY COMMUNITY MEETING AT GRANGE

We need you, your neighbors and as many people as you can recruit to come to our community meeting against Pala Raceway noise. We need to make an important statement to Pala Raceway that we mean business. Press will be there.

                               Grange Hall
                               2160 Rainbow Valley Blvd
                               Rainbow
                               This Saturday January 21  11 AM

This will be a fast pace informational and organizational meeting designed to better equip and mobilize our community for our continuing fight against this intrusion into our quiet lives. We need everyone's ideas, input and participation.

Please take a minute and drop me a quick e-mail indicating your attendance and the number in your party.

Thank you for your continuing support in our community efforts again Pala Raceway Noise.

Anti-Quarry Protester Photos

• By AARON CLAVERIE aclaverie@californian.com 

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.

Call staff writer Aaron Claverie at 951-676-4315, ext. 2624.

Options for Granite if board deniesLiberty Quarry project

CALIFORNIAN   Sunday, January 01, 2012  

Options for Granite if board deniesLiberty Quarry project

 by AARON CLAVERIE     aclaverie@californian.com

Some of the people following the debate over a quarry proposed south of Temecula recently posed an interesting "what if" question.

If the Riverside County Board of Supervisors votes to reject the appeal filed by Northern California-based Granite Construction, would that sound the death knell for the company's Liberty Quarry project?

The answer, according to a Granite representative, a Temecula environmental attorney and the county: Not exactly.

Last month, Granite filed an appeal of the countyPlanning Commission's recent denial of the project, a 135-acre open pit mine proposed for land near the unincorporated area of De Luz, the city of Temecula's southern border and the San Diego Countycommunity of Rainbow. That appeal will be considered by the board early this year.

If the board rejects the appeal, it would be difficult for Granite to challenge the board's decision via a lawsuit, said both Granite project manager Gary Johnson and environmental attorney Ray Johnson.

"The likelihood of winning that would be less than 1 percent," Ray Johnson said. "Basically, you'd have to prove the board's decision was made without any factual backup at all. ... There's virtually no chance it could be challenged in court."

But there is another option for the company: Gary Johnson said Granite could file an amended application.

In that scenario, there's a possibility the new application would need to be accompanied by some fresh technical studies, or edits of existing studies and environmental reports.

Addressing that possibility, county spokesman Ray Smith said a new environmental impact report would have to be done.

"The same studies could be resubmitted, with some caveats. But they would have to be reviewed by staff as completely new studies," he said.

When Gary Johnson was asked whether Granite was willing to invest money in a new application ---- the company already has spent about $10 million to date ---- he said the company hasn't yet made a determination.

He said the company's focus is on seeing the project approved and putting people to work.

Granite has said the quarry will create 100 high-quality jobs and start a positive economic ripple effect in Southwest County because the mine will provide a new local source of aggregate rock material.

Opponents of the project, a group that now includes the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce, say the economic benefits of the project are trumped up and largely illusory, because the mine could end up hurting the area's vibrant tourism industry, in part because of air pollution produced by the mine.

If the board ends up overruling the commission and approving the project, Ray Johnson said the course of action is clear.

Opponents would file a suit challenging the county's environmental review of the project, and Johnson, the attorney, said he is confident the suit would have a good chance of succeeding.

The environmental documentation, he said, is woefully insufficient with regard to the cultural issues that have been brought up by the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians and the traffic studies that have been challenged by city of Temecula consultants.

On the cultural issues, Pechanga leaders have said that the mine project would destroy land tied to its creation story.

Granite has said the mine is proposed for land well away from the confluence of the Murrieta and Temecula creeks that is referenced in the story as the wellspring of the Pechanga people, essentially its "Garden of Eden."

Ray Johnson said that argument probably will not prevail because there is documentation that shows the swath of land that the tribe considers sacred extends far beyond that confluence.

"It's a much, much broader area than that," he said.

The county Planning Department has defended its review of the project, saying that the large body of documentation produced meets both county and state requirements.

Call staff writer Aaron Claverie at 951-676-4315, ext. 2624.

Granite's Liberty Quarry appeal filed Thursday

THE TEMECULA BEAT: Granite's Liberty Quarry appeal filed Thursday

By AARON CLAVERIE aclaverie@californian.com

• Northern California-based Granite Construction on Thursday filed an appeal of the county Planning Commission's denial of its Liberty Quarry project.

Granite representatives have long been on the record saying they had planned to file the appeal and that the company is looking forward to the hearing that will be conducted by the county Board of Supervisors.
The commission voted 4-1 in late August to deny the quarry project, an open pit aggregate mine proposed for land on the city of Temecula's southern border.
Earlier this month, the commission voted 4-1 to finalize that action, presenting a long list of denial findings that did not include many of the benefits of the project that have been touted by Granite and detailed by county planning staff in the project's environmental impact report.
Opponents of the project say it will harm the area's air quality, negatively impact the region's tourism industry and destroy land tied to the creation story of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians.
Supporters say the mine will bring good jobs and produce an economic virtuous circle because the area will be able
to tap a local source of high-quality aggregate.

Call staff writer Aaron Claverie at 951-676-4315