Public Hearing on Liberty Quarry Still a Go Tuesday

RIVERSIDE - A final public hearing on a proposed mining project near Temecula will go ahead, as scheduled, Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors decided today, during a specially convened meeting called after two members indicated they might have a scheduling conflict preventing them from attending.

"I regret if ... (this) has caused any inconvenience for board members or the public,'' said Supervisor Jeff Stone, who along with Supervisor Marion Ashley announced Wednesday that he might have to be in Washington, D.C. the same day of the hearing on the Liberty Quarry.

"I hope you will understand,'' he said to a group of concerned residents who showed up for today's special meeting.

According to Stone, county officials were abruptly informed that federal transportation officials had made time Tuesday for a meeting that they had been seeking for more than a year regarding funds for infrastructure projects, including major improvements to the Riverside (91) Freeway.

Stone and Ashley intended to lead a delegation to Washington, making it impossible for either of them to attend any part of Tuesday's final hearing on the proposed quarry. Stone's district encompasses the area where the 414-acre mine would be situated.

Stone and Ashley were able to find replacements for the Washington trip, with Stone selecting Corona Mayor Eugene Montanez to appear in his stead.

''This will allow us to maintain our rigorous schedule and continue with the quarry meeting,'' Stone said.

Hundreds of people attended hearings on the rock mine on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 at the Riverside Convention Center. Watsonville-based Granite Construction's will have the opportunity on Tuesday to respond to some of the allegations made by quarry opponents.

The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the County Administrative Center, 4080 Lemon St., Riverside.

Granite is seeking a 75-year operating window, during which it plans to remove an estimated five million tons of construction-grade aggregate -- gravel and sand -- from escarpments just north of the boundary separating Riverside and San Diego counties.

The company says the operation would result in 300 direct and indirect jobs, as well as more than $300 million in annual tax receipts for the county and localities.

Opponents argue the quarry would result in noise, pollution, drainage and habitat changes that have lasting repercussions. Additionally, members of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians say the project threatens sacred cultural sites.

Board of Supervisors to discuss postponing final quarry hearing

Riverside - Riverside County supervisors will convene a special meeting tomorrow to discuss rescheduling a final public hearing on a controversial mining project near Temecula.

According to the county Executive Office, Supervisor Jeff Stone, whose district encompasses the area where the mine is proposed, will need to be in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to meet with Obama administration officials for talks about securing federal money for a number of local infrastructure projects.

Tuesday was supposed to be the last day of testimony in Watsonville- based Granite Construction's appeal of a decision by the county planning commission last year to deny grading and zoning permits for its 414-acre Liberty Quarry.

''Both these issues are vital to our county's future,'' Stone said. ''But if we cannot attend the meetings next week in our nation's capital, we do not know when, or if, we will have another opportunity.''

The Board of Supervisors will convene at 5:15 p.m. Thursday at the County Administrative Center to decide on what date to reset the Liberty Quarry hearing.

Hundreds of people attended hearings on the rock mine on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 at the Riverside Convention Center. Next Tuesday would have been Granite's opportunity to respond to some of the allegations made by quarry opponents.

Granite is seeking a 75-year operating window, during which it plans to remove an estimated five million tons of construction-grade aggregate -- gravel and sand -- from escarpments just north of the boundary separating Riverside and San Diego counties, east of the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve and west of Temecula, adjacent to Interstate 15 and Rainbow Valley Boulevard.

The company says the operation would result in 300 direct and indirect jobs, as well as more than $300 million in annual tax receipts for the county and localities.

Opponents argue the quarry would result in noise, pollution, drainage and habitat changes, with lasting repercussions. Additionally, members of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians say the project threatens sacred cultural sites.

Board of Supervisors agree to hold final Liberty Quarry hearing on Feb 14th

Riverside - The Riverside County Board of Supervisors held a second public hearing Monday on the Liberty Quarry project proposed near Temecula. The first hearing, last Tuesday, was primarily to hear from the supporters of the project, while the Feb. 6 hearing was to hear from the opponents. At last night's hearing dozens of speakers opposed the quarry over environmental and health concerns.

The number of speakers pushed the meeting past 7 p.m., and board Chairman John Tavaglione decided another hearing would be necessary to complete testimony on the project. The board agreed to hold a final hearing on Feb. 14 at the County Administrative Center.

Hundreds of people came and went from the Riverside Convention Center to express their feelings on Watsonville-based Granite Construction's appeal of a decision by the county planning commission last year to deny grading and zoning permits for the 414-acre Liberty Quarry.

Former Temecula City Manager Shawn Nelson told the board that Granite had intentionally misled county staff about the existing amount of aggregate available in the county for construction projects to make its case for opening the pit.

“There is more than 70 years of available aggregate to support future growth in Riverside County,'' Nelson said. “We do not have an aggregate shortage in this county. More than two-thirds of the aggregate mined here will go south to San Diego County. If that's the case, why not build the Liberty Quarry in San Diego County?

“The citizens of Riverside County should not have to bear the significant negative impacts of this quarry just to provide aggregate to San Diego County.”

Granite Construction is seeking a 75-year operating window, during which it plans to remove an estimated five million tons of construction-grade aggregate -- gravel and sand -- from escarpments just north of the boundary separating Riverside and San Diego counties, west of Temecula, adjacent to Interstate 15 and Rainbow Valley Boulevard.

About 100 direct jobs and nearly 200 collateral jobs would be created by the project, according to Granite. Planning commission staff estimated the quarry would add about $341 million annually to local government coffers.

The aggregate extracted at the mine would provide asphalt and concrete for roads, homes and other infrastructure projects, Granite officials said. A planning commission staff report indicated the mine would cut down on how far trucks have to transport aggregate for projects in northern San Diego County and southwest Riverside County.

“Riverside County needs more aggregate ... for roads, schools and other public facilities,” Menifee Mayor John Denver told the board during its first hearing last week.

“Right now, we're trucking in aggregate from far-reaching places. We're paying for the higher costs associated with that. Having this (quarry) is vital to the sustainability of our region.”

Riverside County’s Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), released last year, concluded the County would be better off economically and environmentally with Liberty Quarry and by taking the trucks that are presently bringing aggregate from other areas off the road, Liberty Quarry would actually improve the region’s air quality, but people opposing the project disagree.

Homeowner and environmental groups, as well as all of the area Indian tribes, are staunchly opposed to the project. Supporters include almost all the chambers of commerce located within the county, along with officials from cities throughout the central and eastern county regions.

Opponents argue the quarry would result in noise, pollution, drainage and habitat changes, with lasting repercussions. Additionally, members of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians say the project threatens sacred cultural sites.

Final public hearing for Liberty Quarry taking place today at the Riverside Convention Center

Riverside - Riverside County supervisors are holding a final public hearing today to consider a mining company's appeal for approval of a quarry project near Temecula. The meeting started at 9:30 am this morning at the Riverside Convention Center. Granite Construction is appealing to the Riverside Board of Supervisors to overturn the decision of the Planning Commission that voted to reject the permit for the mine after much heated testimony from groups opposing the project. A final environmental impact report issued last March found that most land-use problems arising from the project could be mitigated. Planning commission staff recommended that the board vote in favor of it, providing various conditions were met. Opponents argue will cause irreparable environmental harm and ruin residents' quality of life. The project zone would lie just north of the boundary separating Riverside and San Diego counties, east of the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve and west of Temecula, adjacent to Interstate 15 and Rainbow Valley Boulevard.