Oak Park water tank site opposed
Decision will likely stand
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

A group of Oak Park residents is unhappy with the site chosen for construction of a new 2.1 million-gallon water tank. They want the Triunfo Sanitation District board, which oversees Oak Park water and sanitation services, to reconsider its unanimous Nov. 26 decision that was made following years of research and debate.

"There is no formal appeals method so that's probably the end of it unless a board member wants to bring it up for reconsideration," Triunfo General Manager Mark Lawler said. "My impression is if they were going to reconsider they would have done so at the meeting."

The issue had been on the Triunfo board's agenda but was pulled at the start of the Dec. 17 meeting at the Oak Park Library. Residents for and against the site addressed the board regardless. Those against the site accused the board of being biased and ignoring the environmental impact report and other recommendations that named another site, called A8, as the better choice.

"Certainly the decision was a surprise," said resident Carl Jarecky. "All of the professionals, the environmental impact report, said A8 would be a better site. Our neighborhood really relied on experts' testimony. Both sites are bad, equally noxious. "

Jarecky and other residents of Churchwood Drive and surrounding streets are concerned with the site chosen due to its close proximity to their homes and to Oak Hills Elementary School.

The site, known as A7, is along a trail in the hills above Oak Canyon Park on one side and Churchwood Drive on the other. Among residents' concerns is the possibility of Valley Fever, a respiratory disease contracted by inhaling airborne fungal spores, common in Southern California from construction dust or other soil disturbances such as earthquake and fire.

Local outbreaks of Valley Fever occurred after the Northridge earthquake and after recent wildfires, according to the United States Geological Survey. Pregnant women, those with weak immune systems and certain ethnic groups are at risk.

"Any site that hasn't been touched can have a higher incidence of Valley Fever spores, and there have been 30 recent cases in Ventura County, according to the county health department," said Mimi Kim, a Churchwood resident. "I'm a parent trying to protect the health of my children."

But Triunfo Boardmember Ron Stark downplayed Kim's concern.

"I've lived here 40 years, through every construction project in Oak Park and Agoura Hills. I never heard of anyone coming down with Valley Fever," Stark said.

Other residents spoke in support of Triunfo's site choice and criticized Churchwood residents. "If you really felt that there was some sort of danger to the children . . . you should have said something before the decision was made," said Tyrone Toczauer, who lives near the A8 site.

Churchwood residents said they had attended earlier water tank meetings but not the final meeting because previous discussion, the environmental impact report and other information strongly indicated A8 as the favored location. A8 is located off Doubletree Road and Clearhaven Drive just inside the entrance gate to the Palo Comado hiking trail in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

"It was a very biased decision that didn't look out for the best interests of Oak Park residents at all," Kim said. "It was based on who screamed the loudest."

After the decision was made, Triunfo Chair Janna Orkney publicly expressed surprise that A7 was chosen but defended the decision. She cited "fierce opposition" to A8 from nearby residents, including a homeowners association of 230 homes.

"Also, staff was asking us to approve A8 for one site, with the understanding that the site would actually be moved to somewhere else close by, but they could not yet tell us where," Orkney said.

In addition, A7 is far from homes, on the backside of a hillside, away from Kanan Road and the local school, Orkney pointed out. As for recreational traffic, there were few hikers and bikers, according to personal observation and a Saturday morning count conducted by environmental consultants, Orkney added.

"That is in contrast to, I believe, over 20 hikers and bikers in the same time frame at A8," Orkney said.

Construction cost is expected to be about $8 million, with A7 costing $900,000 more than A8. Orkney said the cost difference has since been reduced.

Sixteen sites were originally considered for the new facility before being narrowed down to two. The existing 1-million-gallon tank at the western end of Conifer Street is 41 years old and needs replacing due to deterioration and seismic instability, according to water district officials. With a more than 2milliongallon capacity, the new tank will be safer and more functional.

Construction is expected to begin in six to nine months, as soon as the engineering and design plan is completed, according to Lawler.

"My guess is that construction will begin in the latter part of the summer," Lawler said.