March 22, 2007 - March 29, 2007 VoIumt 134 - Number 046
www.IECN.com
New school site raises questions, concerns
By: Cviha Mrndoza
A proposed site for Colton Joint Unified School District School #3 is stirring up some uneasy feelings amongst some nearby residents. The new school would be built next to a closed down power plant facility in Grand Terrace and if approved, a new plant will be built on Main St. and Taylor across school is scheduled to be built.
In addressing the issue of building a school at the proposed site an almost infinite number of questions and issues arise: environmental impact, impact on the residents, health, safty, and financial impact, just to name a few. Each Issue can be examined from many different sides and each would have its supporters and detractors.
Since the issue involves the future of many young students, one of the questioned that has arisen Is why this particular site was chosen for school given its proximity to the old plant and a potential new one, which would be a 300 mega-watt facility..
“The new power plant would increase air pollution by 500,000 pounds per yea1” said resident Roxanne Williams. “The plant and the school axe less than 100 feet from each other.”
According to Williams, there will also be 11 to 19 toxic waste trucks driving up and down Taylor on a daily basis. According to Colton Joint Unified School District spokesperson Michael Townsend, the site for the new school was approved by the State before AS, the power plant company, applied for their location across the street. Townsend provided a brief overview of how sites are chosen for new schools.
“The school district selects different locations based on anticipated growth and they look at the growth areas,” Townsend explained “The District submits locations to the State and the State looks at the things that can be mitigated and the things that can’t be mitigated, such as fault lines.”
Mitigation means circumstances that can be changed or fixed. In the case of the location on Main and Taylor some of the Issues examined were traffic, sewers and environmental Impact According to Townsend, the State approves sites approximately five years before any form of construction begins and again, in this case, long before plans for a new power plant across the street.
This is the process that most school districts adhere to in selecting sites for new schools.
Prior to the approval of the location on Main and Taylor, the District had also looked at another location near the entrance of Reche Canyon but the site was not approved because of a fault line that runs through the area dearly not something that can be altered or worked around in any way whatsoever.
“The State found no condition or circumstance that could not be mitigated concluded Townsend of the chosen and State approved location for the new school on Main and Taylor Ground breaking is scheduled for August 2007.
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A satellite Image shows the proposed site In Grand Terrace for the new Cohen Joint Unified School District School 13.
Some residents have expressed concern about the location being so near to an existing, but dosed down power plant, and a possible new plant that may be constructed across the street.
