Toxic Heschel

I have been a resident of Old Agoura since 1974 and I am opposed to the Heschel Day School or any school to be built near the Calabasas Landfill.

My property is to the west of the Calabasas Landfill, which accepted toxic waste until 1980. I must say the landfill has never been a problem and I attribute that to the management and staff at the facility.

There has never been any odor, dust or pollution that I am aware of in all these years. But that can surely change if a school is permitted to be built near the landfill and massive grading done in the area.

According to the Aug. 1989 County Sanitation District of Los Angeles’ report on the landfill, the facility voluntarily suspended accepting Class I hazardous wastes due to changes in regulations and new in-depth geological studies of the sites. According to the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the western areas of the landfill received liquid and hazardous wastes prior to 1989. This is the area closest to the school site.

Quoting from The Acorn issue March 13, 2003 “A recent test of 50 California trash dumps shows 22 had high levels of radioactivity, including the Calabasas Landfill. . .

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer also issued a warning in the article that the Calabasas Landfill had been a frequent dumping site for the radioactive waste produced by Rocketdyne’s field testing laboratory near Simi Valley.

I understand that the Heschel School property is within 2,000 feet of this landfill that had accepted toxic waste up to 1980. I also understand that the landfill now still accepts asphalt waste. The school site is too close to the landfill to guarantee the safety of the children.

May I bring to your attention Belmont High School in Los Angeles––millions of dollars spent on a school that is unsafe for students to attend.

The Heschel School has wonderful plans for their school and they deserve to find a site that is safe for their students and staff.

This site is not the place and is not safe or acceptable for a school.

J.L. Calhoun Agoura Hills