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These draft minutes will be on the agenda of our 11-21-01 meeting for approval
Northridge Community Council Meeting Minutes Northridge Hospital October 17, 2001. Note the numbers match the agenda numbers
NORTHRIDGE COMMUNITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING NORTHRIDGE HOSPITAL PENTHOUSE NOVEMBER 1, 2001 7 p.m.
1. Call to order by acting president Dorothy Boberg at 7:25 p.m.
2. Special order of business An ad hoc committee was formed by interested Stakeholders to review the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) and PEA (Preliminary Endangerment Assessment) documents for the proposed Valley High School #1 to be constructed at Cal State Northridge. The following people provided information and comments:
Jim Parker
Traffic and parking As a resident living on Jellico and Halsted he noted his neighborhood is not in favor of a school being built on Zelzah Ave as Granada Hills High is less than one mile north. Students at the new school will be overflow from Monroe High School which is less than three miles from the site. Projected student numbers have already increased, there are no bounds as to future enrollment increases, the public was not listened to and the neighborhood will be subjected to increased traffic, noise, crime, and decreased property values. Many misrepresentations and discrepancies were identified in the EIR including neighborhood streets absent from maps, and critical intersection not studied, inaccurate figures used for parking and traffic flow. Jim's 4-8-01 report is here.
Anita Santospirito
Community schools and alternatives Refuted traffic, vehicular trips, removal of toxins from the site and failure to research other high school alternatives. Common community knowledge that CSUN has wanted the Prairie Street School site for decades for additional student parking. Due to LAUSD's critical need for seats, the deal was made to trade properties -- a land swap -- Zelzah Court (5 acres) for Prairie Street (8.5 acres). Alternatives suggested: re open Prairie Street as an elementary school, use land at the corner of Lassen and Zelzah for a new high school, convert Prairie Street into a high school. The proposed plan is not in the best interest of the community which neither LAUSD or CSUN is concerned about. The community also has no assurance or legal protection that the school, once built, will be used as stated. Alarcon's senate bill authorizing the land swap was signed by the governor on October 11, seven days prior to the release of the EIR and PEA. Anita's complete statement is here.
Andy Anderson
Other community concerns Community must contact members of the Board of Education and demand that they vote against this project in January 2002. Letter from LAPD Chief Parks was read which gives crime statistics in the area surrounding Granada High. Letter also states that a high school at this location is not in the best interest of the community. If the new school requires students with academic majors to attend, that will totally deplete the best students who are academic majors at Monroe High school and leave Monroe with all non academic students. That is an undesirable situation. Ten acres of athletic fields will be shared with the University. With no intramural or team athletic programs offered, other than required PE classes, who will want to attend this high school? There will be no positive interaction between CSUN students and the high school students. CSUN students already have difficulties getting into filled PE classes and filled lab classes which will also be shared. Contact the Board of Education members now. CSUN desperately wants the Prairie Street school property and they should be ashamed of persuading LAUSD to swap the school for a smaller parcel.
Discussion occurred about the CHIME charter school using Prairie Street but that is not viable. John Chandler, CSUN Public Relations, noted the CSUN College of Education has spoken in favor of the project and wants to reestablish a connection with the public school system.
Charles Brink
Preliminary Endangerment Assessment The PEA document identifies a number of agricultural toxins at levels above normal but below public safety levels. The contaminated earth will have to be properly removed during construction. As required by CEQA the RAW (Removal Action Workpaper) has not been completed or publicly reviewed. The EIR needs to be revised as the RAW requirement in EIR is incomplete.
Suggested that the community: request the memorandum of understanding explaining the scheduling of the shared athletic fields, obtain an accurate kid count for eligibility of local children in private as well as public schools, publicly state that lead agencies are relying on the community to not read and not respond to the EIR and PEA documents, request traffic studies be done during normal CSUN schedule, not in June. A question was raised as to if MiniMed's traffic and the enlarged University Club's increased traffic had not been considered in the traffic study thus an incomplete, inaccurate study. As a neighborhood council do we have the ability to review and impact the process? (See Charles full report on the website) Discussion of issues by the public
Tom Davis, LAUSD Office of Environmental Safety, attended to listen and hear valid concerns. The experts will explain the EIR at the Nov. 7 public hearing. The RAW is being prepared and will be submitted in several weeks and it does discuss actions necessary. The state EPA is reviewing data and will give interim decision. The EIR must include mitigations, the state must prepare additional documents for CEQA and a public hearing must be held to review the RAW Charles Brink commented on the need for an extension of the December 3, 2001 deadline for EIR public input until the EIR is revised and complete.
Jim Parker questions the Notice of Preparation section. The placement of his letter following the scoping process seemed inappropriate and he questioned why the community did not receive the Notice of Preparation?
John Chandler asked to comment CSUN is Into this project one and a half years which included a number of hearings for the public (June and July and also between Thanksgiving and Christmas). University has a mailing list and everyone should call and have their name added to it for notification purposes. Monroe High School will be a feeder school but not the only school to draw students (Monroe is the only school by name that appears in the EIR) . Public notes that is not so stated in the EIR. Parking figures are correct, there has been adequate public notice about the project, no busing will be done to this "neighborhood school" according to "LAUSD policy during the life of the project," All shared lab usage can be accommodated as stated in the JPA with LAUSD. This project is the only project of its type. This new #1 school will be a gem of a high school in the San Fernando Valley.
Additional remarks by the community:
The GPA requirement is not high enough for an "Academy" school.
Crime, vehicular accidents, gang problems will be a nightmare as stated by a resident who used to live near Monroe High School.
Must be a closed campus for high school age.
The community must make accurate statements on issues when refuting the documents.
Comments made on the arsenic levels being safe in our water supply. This was follow-up information to last months guest speaker from DWP.
Chair reminds group of the Public Hearing at CSUN on November 7th, 6:30 PM in the Grand Salon.
Charles Brink moved that the Northridge Community Council request a delay and another meeting 60 days following the release of the RAW to our community thus allowing adequate time to review all documents. Many unanswered questions need to be answered in order for the community to make intelligent decisions. Seconded.
Question to close debate, voted upon and passed.
Motion carried.
Adjournment at 9:45 p.m.
Next meeting on Wednesday, November 21, 7:30 PM at Northridge Hospital.