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NC Times - Letter to the Editor, May 29, 2008

Granite quarries were here before

Granite quarries are nothing new to Temecula. A granite quarry operated for a number of years on the southwest edge of what is now the Temecula Creek Golf Course. John L. Lewis, who later became president of the C.I.O. labor union, worked at the quarry during his 20s. Around this same time, the Temecula Mining Company was mining silica and feldspar for paint and pottery glaze.

Can anyone tell me how many Temecula residents suffered, or worse yet, died from the affects of silicosis during or after that time? It's time we put an end to the fear-mongering and began dealing with the facts.

Bill Harker
Temecula

Dear Community Leader:

I am a young mother with 3 children and a husband working in construction. My family came to Temecula when I was 12 years old. To say that this economy has hurt my family is an understatement. Like most people I don't go out of my way to tangle with loud obnoxious people but enough is enough.

I can't stay silent any longer. Businesses are closing everywhere. Gas prices and electricity costs are soaring. California has not approved a solar plant in 8 years or a nuclear plant in 22 years even though we added 10 million people since then. Farmers are losing their land to a rat or a flea. We are losing half of our water supply from the Delta Bay near Sacramento because a tiny fish can't be relocated to a safer location. We could lose our beautiful Avocado groves and our Wine Country and water prices are going to go sky high.

All of this because of efforts of loud and obnoxious organizations an their misled followers who, despite the facts, give out bad information and scare the public.

Like I said, I don't want to tangle with these people but I have to say it: "1 support the Liberty Quarry." It means jobs - good jobs. And no, my husband is not employed by the quarry company but new jobs mean future prosperity for our community and businesses. I have read and heard all the arguments against the quarry and I am sure you have also. I talked to people at the Granite Company and made an educated decision.

The quarry will cut truck traffic on the 1-15 and the new technology they will employ will ensure that our children will not be affected adversely in any way. It will bring high paying jobs to our community and continue our community's reputation for progress and prosperity.

There comes a time when you just have to take a stand.

Will you as a leader in our community join me in standing up against special interest bullies and their misinformed followers? You may be the next target. We can stand up this time and maybe others will stand up next time .

If you have questions or comments, please contact me at
angel.zaro@yahoo.com or by mail at 40335 Winchester Rd, Ste. #E-109, Temecula. CA 92591.

Thank you
Angel Zarobinski

Stick with science, not rhetoric

Letter to the Editor, North County Times, May 15, 2008

You've got to love the "rock-huggers," which are Temecula's version of tree-huggers and Stephens' kangaroo rat lovers. The latest version is the "No Quarry" gang of protesters. They came riding out of their perceived dust cloud on a recent Sunday to take us back to the protest marches of yesteryear, a day when hair was long, pot was king and never let the facts and truth get in the way of a good hootenanny march.

I like nostalgia as much as anyone, but isn't it time to put childish things behind? How funny that the rock-huggers dispute every study done by federal, state and county agencies, and yet insist that they alone possess the real truth. Kind of like Al Gore's global warming invention. Oh, that's right, he invented the Internet also. The rock-huggers' exaggerations are breathtaking, like the deadly silica cloud that will have us all wearing face masks, and carrying oxygen bottles, or the constant, 24-hour booming of dynamite blasts, or cracks in everybody's windshields from pebble-spewing gravel trucks, or the claimed 2,500 people who attended the "No Quarry" living sign event that turned out to be 1,000 people after examination.

Rock-huggers really expose themselves as wild-eyed liberals when they use the worn-out strategies of the '60s to make their points. Let's all step back and let the process be approved or rejected on its merits by the proper authorities, not with foaming-at-the-mouth rhetoric .

Larry Lepley
Temecula

Southwest Riverside County Letters to the Editor - Thursday, April 3, 2008
Californian

Quarry would be a positive for area

We own two 5-acre parcels of land just a few hundred yards from the proposed Liberty Quarry project. We go up to our property most weekends, spend the day and enjoy the nature. We have hopes that one day we can build a home up there.

We have no problem with what Granite has proposed. They contacted us early in the process and went over what they are proposing. We have visited their Indio facility and have seen firsthand their operation. Granite has been great about giving us input and working with us to ensure that we are not impacted. They've even gone so far as to offer to modify operations in the future if something did come up.

We read and hear about the people opposed to the project. They are much farther from the proposed site than we are. Do they have all the facts? The visit to Indio and the information provided in the technical reports indicate there will be little, if any, impacts, and in the future the site might be turned into a water reservoir. We see that as being a positive for the community. This is a badly needed project that would provide jobs for a lot of people and building materials that are close by for the expanding area. If Temecula's efforts to annex the area goes through, I believe that the project will not be able to move forward.

Brian and Belinda Kirkpatrick
Corona

Letters to the Editor - 2/2/2008
By: Readers of the North County Times and The Californian

Study shows silica won't harm area

I'll always be concerned about the health of my family. That's why it's reassuring to know Granite Construction is going above and beyond and commissioning detailed scientific studies to determine how the proposed Liberty Quarry might affect area residents.

A new report shows silica dust produced by the quarry will have no negative health effects on neighboring residents. It's important to note that silica is a basic component of soil in Southern California. Areas that have a large amount of sand and gravel ---- such as the beach ---- often have higher concentrations of silica particles in the air due to natural wind patterns. That being said, it would take very long exposure ---- eight hours a day at extremely high concentrations (thousands of times greater than Liberty Quarry) for years at a time for silica dust to become a cause for concern.

The study was conducted by an independent doctor with over 25 years of experience in silica research and its associated health effects and the conclusions prove this project will not harm my family.

There is no doubt there's a need for this quarry. Aggregate supplies are desperately needed in Southwest County to meet aggregate demand, and having a local facility such as the Liberty Quarry will help keep polluting trucks off the road, which is a direct benefit for local residents.

So for the naysayers out there; give science a chance ---- you never really know the facts until you get a chance to actually study them.

Casey Evans
Murrieta

State of California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency

Letter to Riverside County Board of Supervisors regarding the tremendous need for aggregate to support the State's transportation infrastructure needs.  Click here to read the letter.

Letters to the Editor and Commentary

The North County Times and The Californian, Letters to the Editor - 8/30/2007

Quarry would be good for traffic

When taking my weekly drive from UC Irvine to Murrieta to see my family, I become more and more aggravated with the amount of gravel trucks on I-15. If my memory serves me right, there is not one time in my life I can ever remember myself or anyone else saying, "Gee, I wish there was more traffic!" Upon hearing about Liberty Quarry's ability to take more than 16 million truck miles off the I-15, I established it as a rock solid "Yes" in my book.

To the people that want to stop this project, all I can say is, "Um, hello!?!" Everyone living in Southern California knows that the amount of freeway traffic has become ridiculously annoying. So instead of cursing the proposed Liberty Quarry project, the people of Murrieta and Temecula should open their arms and welcome Granite Construction.

Don't let a small group of outspoken grumps block a good thing. Let's work on making a better future by promoting a little bit of Liberty!

Amber Muhne
Murrieta

The North County Times and The Californian, Letters to the Editor - 8/28/2007

Let Granite build, but shut down if problems

I've noticed that two subjects have been consuming a large portion of the letters space in your paper. I'm referring to creation vs. evolution and Granite vs. SOS-Hills. When, if ever, is it going to stop? I have friends and acquaintances on both sides of both issues and I'm not taking a position on either subject in this letter and I'm not going near the first one. However, I do have a comment regarding the second one.

Why not stop the wrangling: Let Granite proceed with its quarry, which is probably five or more years away, and at the first indication the operation is causing harm of any sort to our community, obtain a court order for them to cease and desist operations?

Bill Harker


The North County Times and The Californian, Letters to the Editor - 8/26/2007

Information thieves work to fool community

I have been presented with mixed views on the issue of Liberty Quarry. After hearing about the informational meeting on July 25 at Temeku Hills, I was excited to be presented with intelligent, fact-based arguments from both sides. On July 24, I read in the paper that Save Our Southwest Hills was holding a meeting at Temeku Hills to "organize against the gravel mine."

Now SOS President Kathleen Hamilton on Aug. 23 writes that it was an informational meeting and there was no reason for Granite to pull out. Does she think the Temecula community is ignorant and can't see through misinformation?

It was a disappointment to hear that myself and others would not be given a balanced view of both sides of the argument. I still attended the meeting with an open mind to what SOS said. Upon getting home, I researched the "facts" SOS presented. "Fact" one: Liberty will be the biggest mine in the country. Guess what? In Minnesota's Superior Nation Forest there are two granite quarries. The Lake Superior Green is 385 acres, and Babbit Black is 240 acres. Liberty will only be 155 acres.

SOS, next time you give out "facts" please make them accurate.

I encourage people to look beyond the smoke and mirrors that SOS seems to so abundantly place before our community. Take a tour of the Liberty Quarry site before throwing stones at Granite Construction. Do as much research as possible. You will find, as I did, that Liberty is a beneficial and necessary project.

DANIEL SLATER
Temecula


The Californian, Letters to the Editor - 8/22/2007

Granite offers facts; quarry foes offer spin

Granite Construction has completed a number of factual, scientific and professional reports about their Liberty Quarry proposal. They have made them available to the public. The results of the monitoring for crystalline silica at two of their facilities in Northern California can be found on their Web page, www.libertyquarryfacts.com.

They were not asked to make this public, but they did. Go read it. The results clearly show that those two quarries are no threat at all to someone standing on the edge of those quarries. When you hear Save Our Southwest Hills members scream about crystalline silica, ask them if they have read the reports.

Granite is spending significant amounts of time reaching out to the community and providing detailed responses to questions and inquiries. They are even offering tours of their facilities in other parts of Riverside County to give folks a firsthand look at their operations. I have been to the Indio facility and was impressed by the operations and cleanliness.

I find it a shame that SOS makes a mockery of a process intended to educate the public and keep them informed by constantly trying to spin, speculate and scare residents. Having an opinion is one thing. Constantly distorting science and fact is another.

Kevin Pape
Temecula

The Californian - August 18, 2007

Letters to the Editor - 4/22/2007

The North County Times and Californian

Dust is from fields, grading, not quarries

When those Santa Ana winds blow they do kick up a lot of dust in the Temecula Valley. So where does all that dust come from? It comes from plowed fields, grading projects and bare earth with a loose topsoil, not necessarily from granite quarries, as Ken Johnson intimated in his letter published April 18. Little if any dust from Corona or Temescal Canyon reaches Temecula.

It should also be pointed out that when the big winds blow around here they normally come out of the northeast or northwest. The site for the proposed Liberty Quarry is approximately three miles southwest of Temecula. That means the winds would be blowing dust, if any, away from Temecula.

Bill Harker
Temecula

Letters to the Editor - 3/3/2007

Tthe North County Times and The Californian

Hysteria and paranoia mark quarry debate

I'm glad to see more people coming to their senses and supporting Granite Construction's right to apply for a rock quarry in southern Riverside County. Most of those protesting are using alarmist tactics, trying to scare people into thinking rock quarries are like toxic waste dumps.

It's pretty obvious their real objections have little or nothing to do with their stated claims, most of which seem to border on paranoia. If we were to believe them, we would assume the proposed quarry would guarantee an epidemic of emphysema, silicosis, lung disease and jock itch.

Today's rock quarries are high-tech marvels that are so benign in their operations that many people living in the vicinity aren't even aware they exist. The same will be true of Liberty Quarry. Several months ago, I challenged opponents to prove that people living closer to quarries suffer statistically higher rates of physical illness than those that live far away.

Realizing the statistics don't support their claims, protesters continue making arguments based on anxiety, untruths and the dreaded NIMBYism. One person even falsely accused me of having a financial interest in the plant.

It's amazing how much hysteria has been exhibited by people who have no working knowledge of how rock plants operate.

Rick Kellogg
Wildomar

3/22/07, The Californian

Facts, not assumptions, needed

By: WILLIAM HARKER - Commentary

During the controversy over the last year regarding the proposed granite quarry in the hills west of Temecula, I have retained a neutral position while waiting for some facts I could hang my hat on.

Until recently, all I had to go on were assumptions and opinions expressed by both sides. Nothing had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Two weeks ago, I took advantage of an opportunity to visit the Granite Construction quarry in Indio and was favorably impressed by the manner in which the operation is run. I saw no dust in the air where the conveyors were dumping their loads. Water sprayers at the end of the conveyors eliminated any dust escaping into the air. A water mist emanating from the sprayers could be misconstrued by a less observing eye as dust, but it evaporated rapidly and disappeared.

While the crushers did emit considerable noise when standing in close proximity to them, the noise diminished a few hundred feet from the source.

Of particular interest to me were the new homes being constructed within eyesight of, and about a mile or so west, of the quarry operation. It seems inconceivable to me that developers would invest in and undertake the establishment of new neighborhoods in an area where they knew the buyers could be subjected to unhealthy air and noise contamination.

Since the Indio quarry is on relatively flat desert land, blasting, which has been a point of objection by the opposition to the Liberty Quarry, has not been necessary. However, at the time that blasting was taking place near Rainbow during construction of the I-15 freeway I was living in a condo at the west end of La Paz Street. Admittedly the explosions were noisy, but there was no buffer between the blasting and where I lived. The proposed Liberty Quarry would be in a depression that is surrounded by hills that would provide a noise buffer.

I don't believe the noise from the blasting would be any worse than what we now hear when Camp Pendleton is firing their big guns, nor will it rattle our windows any more than the military helicopters that are continually flying over our valley.

Other considerations have been raised regarding economic benefit to our community and reduced truck traffic through our area. Establishing the quarry may provide some employment opportunities for local residents, but any tax windfall would only be realized if the area were incorporated into Temecula.

A map of the present truck traffic on its way to San Diego shows there could be a significant reduction in trucks traveling through the Temecula Valley on Interstate 15 en route to the San Diego area.

Until the opposition can provide me with proven facts, and not assumptions, supporting their claims and objections, I can find no objective reason to oppose establishment of the Liberty Quarry in the area where it would be operating. I will not succumb to the knee-jerk reactions of my friends and neighbors, regardless of how well-meaning their intentions may be.

William Harker is a longtime resident of Temecula.

3/23/07, North County Times and The Californian

Common Sense for Temecula wrote:

"Bravo to Mr. William Harker's commentary! I am getting a little sick and tired of my city council and noisy activists agitating my community over this proposed quarry project. The simple truth is that Temecula NEEDS a cost effective supply for concrete and asphalt for all of the planned projects for our community. How does the city council expect to revitalize and redevelop our Old Town Temecula? With straw huts and dirt roads? I am getting a little sick and tired of all of the cacaphony of gloom and doom predictions put out by the SOS crowd and our so called city "leaders." I have personally seen other gravel quarry operations in California (none owned by Granite) and they emit very little noise and dust because of engineering practices like water spraying to wet down the dust. The nature preserve argument is a bit heavy on emotion and lacking in logic. One could seriously make the argument that the quarry could actually serve to PROTECT wildlife by keeping the wildlife on the preserve away from the dangerous I-15 freeway where pumss and possum alike would end up as roadkill. It is truly pathetic that our Temecula city council has chosen to embrace fear and ignorance spurned by an angry mob of orange shirted busybodies. The city council has already made its decision despite the fact that the scientific studies have not been completed yet. Talk about a kangarooo court! I'll bet the Granite Construction people could expect a fairer trial at an old style Soviet Politburo show trial. The local politics here is getting pathetic. Maybe what is really needed is for Granite to buckle down and just pay the extortion money to SOS goons. This same thing happened when a similar group of "concerned citizens" skimmed their take several years ago when the Wal-Mart was built a mile away from me on Hwy. 79 South. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole SOS thing isn't just an extortion plot for greedy powerbrokers to muscle in on a project that would provide some legitimate needs to the Temecula Valley. And before you SOS Kool Aid drinkers accuse me of being on Granite's payroll, I have nothing to do with them. I don't work for them, my family doesn't work for them and I own no stock in Granite. So go and smoke that in your orange pipes! Also, everyone in Temecula had better consider that with the housing mortgage crisis and the local real estate fraud scandal that is brewing here, we will need some real employment and tax revenue base here in Temecula if this place is going to survive. With the housing market and the mortgage industry going into a nosedive, where does local government expect to get all of these property taxes from? You guys had better wise up and start hoping that employers like Granite will look to this area for business. Ohterwise the city coffers will quickly dry up. Great commentary Mr. Harker! We need more cleared headed thinking like yours in this community and less emotional demagoguery from the orange shirt demagogues. "

3/14/07, North County Times and The Californian

Annexation only designed to stop quarry

The only reason members of the Temecula City Council have used to justify annexing Liberty Quarry is that "Temecula deserves a say." That's interesting.

For years the vineyards to the east of the city have been a major source of tourism, sales revenue, traffic and local identity for Temecula. Despite the deep connection, the Wine Country is not part of Temecula. It is Riverside County land, right on the city's border. For decades Temecula has had no problem with letting Riverside County have its say over these neighboring properties.

That is, until members of the council decided to oppose Liberty Quarry.

Without most of them touring the facility or considering local aggregate needs, they are proposing to annex 4,600 acres -- 7 square miles -- of mostly vacant land to stop a 155-acre quarry three miles away from Temecula's border. The city has already spent thousands of taxpayer dollars for studies and its fight to annex this land.

Seems like another pointless cause from City Hall. We should work to build Temecula's future, not jump to rash decisions and thoughtless expansions. Or at least be consistent -- but that may be too much to ask.

Kristin Freisen
Murrieta

Study shows quarry could save taxpayers millions

2/22/2007, Fallbrook Village News

RAINBOW — A new economic impact study conducted by Inland economist John Husing shows that Liberty Quarry would save taxpayers more than $32 million in reduced air quality mitigation and highway maintenance costs and pump more than $150 million into the local economy.

Liberty Quarry would erase more than 16.5 million truck miles from Riverside County’s roadways every year, and air quality experts estimate that almost 115,000 pounds of harmful air emissions will be eliminated yearly, saving California tax payers $27.3 million in emission reduction costs. Taxpayers simultaneously receive the additional benefit of saving $5.3 million per year in highway maintenance costs with the removal of these trucks over the 75-year project life.

“The reduction in truck miles will not only improve our air quality, but will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars that could be spent on other things such as education, transportation improvements and public safety,” said Gary W. Johnson, Aggregate Resource Development Manager for Granite Construction. “It is an environmental win and an economic benefit to taxpayers.”

“As shortages drive up the price of sand and gravel needed for construction, it limits the ability to finance projects, and ultimately residents will be forced to do without many of the facilities and infrastructure projects needed to support their desired lifestyles,” said Dr. John Husing. “Liberty Quarry will help keep these prices down and stretch bond dollars further by making projects more cost efficient.”

Liberty Quarry is a proposed 155-acre rock quarry in Southwest Riverside County at the San Diego County line. It is expected to generate over 270 million tons of high-quality granite rock, ideal for making concrete and asphalt materials for approximately 75 years. It is currently undergoing an intensive Environmental Review Process in Riverside County.

A tour, open to the public, of Granite’s Indio facility is scheduled for March 5. For a complete copy of the traffic studies, air emissions report or to sign up for this tour, contact the Liberty Quarry offices at (951) 699-0922 or visit www.libertyquarryfacts.com.


2/22/2007, Fallbrook Village News

Quarries are necessary

Unless you are one who believes against all evidence to the contrary that no quarries are necessary anywhere in the region, the Liberty Quarry location seems to have the most going for it. Can you conceive of a location with the right mix of rock, that is visible to nobody in the county, that has direct freeway access to keep trucks off our smaller streets and highways, can serve the San Diego market without dragging trucks through Riverside and provide Southwest Riverside County and Northern San Diego County road projects with materials at a lower cost that the existing quarries and yet is not in a protected habitat area as designated by the county’s Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan? I can’t.

Richard Brady

2/22/2007, North County Times

Time for Temecula to step up

Commentary:

As a recent transplant to Temecula, from Northern California, it is clear to me that Temecula is truly the Jewel of the Inland Empire.

With its heritage steeped in the Old West, and the wineries, horse country, Old Town, horse and walking trails, as well as the Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula has a unique charm, and the makings of a first-class city. The city and area we moved from in the San Francisco Bay Area was very similar in its history and ambience.

But, in order to become that truly first-class city, Temecula has its work cut out for it. We need to accept, but control, the growth of Temecula as it crests 100,000 residents. We need to push for a hospital with emergency rooms, resident doctors, surgery centers and beds. We need to embrace the wineries and encourage them to expand in size and numbers, even more than we do today.

We need to accept the quarry, its tax dollars and quality jobs. We need improved offramps, and need to see more roads built and paved, especially throughout the wine country in the areas bordering Temecula's sphere of influence.

We can fight all this and end up with a fractured community or we can accept these issues as opportunities to build this city to its full potential. The leaders of this city need to grab the bull by the horns and realize that the decisions they make today will forever influence this city and its residents. The decisions they make can all have positive impacts on the community. The hospital and the quarry, while contentious, are needed.

Anyone who has traveled any distance for medical care, or watched the thousands of trucks commuting to and from Corona for material, can attest to their needs.

The city can mandate controls on both the hospital design and quarrying operations to minimize their impact and maximize the benefits to Temecula. It can lobby the state for more federal dollars for the offramps and roads.

The city can partner with the county to expand the wineries in number and quality to enhance the tourism dollars spent here. Temecula is a "jewel," but an unpolished one. With some care, it can maintain its legacy and heritage, while improving the city for all to enjoy for decades to come.

The leaders of the city need to step up, step up now and be leaders, having the vision to make it happen for the benefit of all its residents.

If they don't, then years from now Temecula will no longer be the Jewel of the Inland Empire, but just another one of the many cities in California whose leaders wasted the opportunities in front of them and never gained control of the city's destiny to the benefit of all.

Mike Anderson

Temecula

2/18/2007, North County Times and The Californian

Quarry in best possible location

Unless you are one who believes against all evidence to the contrary that no quarries are necessary anywhere in the region, the Liberty Quarry location seems to have the most going for it.

Can you conceive of a location with the right mix of rock, that is visible to no one in the county, that has direct freeway access to keep trucks off our smaller streets and highways. And can serve the San Diego market without dragging trucks through Riverside and provide Southwest Riverside County and northern San Diego County road projects with materials at a lower cost than the existing quarries, and yet is not in a protected habitat area as designated by the County's Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan? I can't.

Richard Brady
Fallbrook

2/9/07, The Californian

Premature opposition to quarry

How can the Temecula City Council come out in opposition to a project outside of our city limits before they have seen all of the analysis? The only analysis that has been presented indicates that truck traffic through our city and Murrieta will be reduced, I have heard people say they don't believe it but they haven't provided any facts to counter it?

The Temecula City Council needs to be objective and gather the facts before making a decision. Why can't they go see the proposed site and the site Granite operates in Indio?

Linn Campbell
Temecula

2/5/07, The Press-Enteprise

Fuel for Growth

by Carl Love

It's a great view: Giant rocks jutting out of gorgeous hillsides flecked with green and brown. And not a sign of humanity anywhere.

Hard to believe this could be a key to the continuing development of southwest Riverside County.

It's the proposed site of Liberty Quarry south of Temecula, Granite Construction's controversial answer to the continuing need for concrete to feed the growth machine that literally feeds us.

Without concrete, there is no growth. You don't have to be a developer to know that.

I toured the site with Granite officials Gary Johnson and Karie Reuther. You can do the same thing: Just call Reuther at 951-699-0922 to set it up. If you want to devote a day, they'll also run you out to Indio to their quarry there. About 90 locals have taken the tours.

Here's their sales pitch: They have options to buy about 414 acres three miles south of Temecula, west of Interstate 15. It would be used for a quarry of about 150 acres. The rest would be a buffer so the rest of us don't have to see or hear it, according to the proponents.

To get there, we took 15 south to the Rainbow Canyon offramp. Turning right (Granite says they'll add another turn lane to accommodate their truck traffic), we went through a locked gate and up a steep road to the site.

Standing on what would be the actual quarry, I couldn't hear a sound from the Interstate 15 traffic because a hillside separated us. Granite plans to move another hill to help create a topographical curtain of sorts to shield the project from residents of De Luz to the northwest and Fallbrook to the southwest.

If I could write one thing in your article, Johnson told me, it's that residents of Temecula won't be able to see the project. In effect, the quarry would sit at the bottom of a bowl that is lined with open space. Critics, of which there are no shortage, might call it a toilet bowl.

The question is whether it's necessary. According to Johnson, within a 35-mile radius of the site now -- that takes in Escondido to the south and us to the north -- there is a need for 10 million tons of aggregate a year. The quarry would provide half of that for 50 to 75 years.

Will Kempton, director of Caltrans, is all for it. Speaking at a local conference in December, he said local projects such as Liberty mean less wear and tear on roads from trucks and less expensive projects because of lower material costs.

Considering we need roads like Baghdad needs peace and quiet, anything that reduces the cost of building them has to be good, Liberty backers say. More bang for your buck.

Opponents say other costs have to be considered. It would flank part of the 4,344-acre Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve. They say the project's blasting, traffic, noise, dust and lights have to be harmful to this paradise, though quarry supporters say modern methods will minimize or even eliminate those effects.

Critics also say the project would threaten air quality, mar the scenery, and increase local truck traffic. Johnson disagreed and said, let the environmental impact report due this spring decide.

In the meantime, the powerful growth machine churns on, needing concrete like a teenage boy needs food. How much people are willing to pay for it may ultimately decide the fate of this stunning view.

8/18/06, The Californian

Minority using scare tactics on quarry

Larry Lepley's letter of Aug. 15, supporting the proposed Liberty Quarry was a breath of fresh air, no pun intended. Larry understands the significance and benefits of the rock quarry and isn't afraid to say so.

Most complainers have tried to alarm us about imaginary health risks caused by dust, a virtual non-issue. You'd think they'd do their homework and prove that people living near quarries have significantly higher rates of disease than those living far away. They haven't done so because such evidence doesn't exist, even if they go back several decades before stringent emissions standards were imposed.

Most Temecula residents I've talked to support the quarry. It seems a vocal minority have banded together to write letters and scare people into opposing it. I think I know what these people are really afraid of: In their humble opinions, the city of Temecula is too hoity-toity to host a rock plant.

They might be surprised to learn that Palos Verdes, no slouch of a city, was home to Chandler's Sand and Gravel for decades, and it did not hurt property values or create health issues.

Other towns of prominence such as Pasadena, Arcadia, Bradbury, Glendora, Claremont, Alta Loma and Upland have had quarries in operation without significant risks to the health of people or the values of the houses they live in. I think it's about time some of these high-falutin' naysayers get off their high horses and start dealing with reality.

RICK KELLOGG
Wildomar

8/15/06, The Californian

'Rock-huggers' ignore facts, common sense

First it was the tree-huggers, then it was the bird-huggers, next it was the toad-huggers, and my personal favorite, the Stephens kangaroo rat-huggers.

Each hugger is inspired by their perceived contribution to saving the planet.

Now, we have the rock-huggers, those wild-eyed activists who tell us that our quality of life is doomed in the Temecula Valley because of the Liberty Quarry and the evil and subversive Granite Construction Co.

Ah, those shocking liberal platitudes of how our children will not be able to play their Xboxes because the silica dust has coated the screen. How every Temecula resident over 30 will be wearing a dust mask and breathing from an oxygen bottle in their backpack.

I love how the rock-huggers are able to twist, or ignore, the factual surveys and analysis of a nationally accredited environmental assessor. These surveys show that the quarry will improve the overall quality of life in Temecula, not destroy it, as the rock-huggers love to portray.

I can close my eyes and visualize Al (Hot Spell-Hugger) Gore at his blackboard with his laser pointer. I see Al pontificating to his eager class of future huggers (with little Paul Jacobs in the front row). How these liberals love to spin and exaggerate the facts and ignore common sense to fit their agenda.

Debate is good. Debate is American. But let's not trash the facts and common sense to pacify the emotional exaggerations of the Hugger Nation.

LARRY LEPLEY

7/4/06, North County Times

The Benefits to a Backyard Quarry

(Read the entire commentary here.)

Bob Kowell
Murrieta

6/30/06, The Californian

Quarry will reduce dust near freeways

Those who have written about the potential dust hazard from the proposed Liberty Quarry in southern Riverside County don't seem to understand where all the dust is coming from. Rock quarries have effective methods to control dust emissions and do a very good job of it. They know they can be severely penalized if they fail to meet stringent standards.

The biggest problem with dust arises when trucks leave the quarry and hit the road. The turbulence caused by big rigs driving at freeway speeds creates a tremendous dust storm, sending micro particles into the nearby houses. Those of us who live close to a freeway know how hard it is to keep dust out of our homes. It has been estimated that the establishment of the new rock quarry will reduce the number of loads of gravel trucks driving through Lake Elsinore by about 1,200 every day.

When you factor in the return trips, this figure is roughly doubled. That doesn't even take into account the accidental spillage caused by faulty equipment, or fine particles that blow off the top. I support the proposed rock quarry as a way to reduce dust in the air and congestion on most Riverside County freeways.

FRED CROWE
Lake Elsinore

 

Worthy Quarry

June , 2006, The Press-Enterprise

I've lived in Temecula Valley since 1987. I have business here in town. I care about the quality of
our life here. I care about traffic and pollution. I'm sensitive to K-rats and Fairy Shrimp. I've driven
by quarries on my way to Vegas and around Irwindale. I don't know what types of quarries they
are. I just know they look horrible. So the mere mention of a quarry close by gives me a knee-
jerk reaction of joining S.O.S.and singing their anthem: "Don't Quarry, be Happy". BUT WAIT!
Maybe, just maybe, I should look into this a little further. There are so many questions: Will it
reduce pollution? Will we have fewer trucks on our roads? Will we have a new business partner
involved in bettering our community? Will it save us money? So like any intelligent voter should
do, I arranged a tour with Granite Constructions Indio mine operation and the proposed site of the
Liberty Quarry. I was able to get a first hand look and get all my questions answered. I was
impressed with not just the CLEAN and QUIET operation of the quarry, but also with their plans
to make Liberty quarry totally isolated from anything and everything. Both site and sound. It
won't be seen from the I-15. It won't be seen from DeLuz or Fallbrook. It just won't be seen.
And dust particals that Vail Ranch or Redhawk are concerned about that may blow their way
would have a lesser chance than the sand I kick up in the sand traps at the Redhawk Golf Course.
Remember, this will be a granite mine so they will use charges one to two times per day around
1:00 p.m. during the week only. The charges that will be used are less than some used by our
local restaurants. By-the-way, the reason this mine is important to this region is because all of
California is nearing a shortage of aggregate to build roads. Also, the closer the raw material the
cheaper the cost. Thank you Senator Dennis Hollingsworth and Assemblyman Ray Haynes for
understanding what it takes to build infrastructures. Here's a little known fact: For every 25 or
30 miles the the trucks have to haul their material it doubles in price. The closer the quarry.
The bigger the savings and the less trucks on the road. Less trucks equals less traffic which
reduces pollution.

Now if it sounds like that tour got to me, you might be right. However, you should always get
both sides before rendering an opinion. I may have stepped over the line a bit. I apologize
for that. So next I plan to take a tour with Kathleen Hamiltion and S.O.S. I doubt that I will
wear their orange shirt just yet, but I owe it to this community and our quality of life here not
to leave any stone unturned. All I have to do is keep an opened mind.
Let's not forget all the hundreds of impact reports and studies that have not yet surfaced.
Hopefully they will start coming out around September. Then, and only then, can we truly
understand what impact a quarry may have. I'm sure 1st District Supervisor Bob Buster
has cleared a large portion of his desk for thes captivation novels. How about we use the
Four-Way Test: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better
friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? It always works for me.
All I'm saying is let all do our homework. It's far too easy and too soon to start in and join
the chorus with, "Don't Quarry, Be Happy".

David Thompson
Murrieta

 

Quarry will be a boon to region

4/21/2006, Readers of the North County Times and Californian

I'm hopeful that the proposed granite quarry south of town will be approved. The area it is proposed to go could hardly offer any better conditions for such an operation. The reduction in freeway truck traffic alone should go a long way toward justifying it in the minds of those who suggest they are opposing it on environmental grounds.
People want decent roads and nice homes, but many don't seem to realize that the raw materials for these must come from somewhere. Would they like for us to pay even more exorbitant prices for materials? Should we send to China for our gravel?

I would like to see the powers that be use some old-fashioned common sense in this thing, and leave the excessive emotionalism outside the decision-making process.

WILLIAM RENCH
Temecula