From: Sunol Community News
Save Our Sunol Column
February 2000
By: Pat Stillman

The future belongs to those who
believe in the beauty of their dreams
...Eleanor Roosevelt

Our first SOS meeting for the year 2000 was held on Monday, January 24 in the School Cafeteria. Finlay Boag introduced Alameda County Court Commissioner, David Krashna, who is a candidate for Superior Court Judge. Although SOS does not endorse candidates, we were very impressed with Commissioner Krashna's educational credentials and his comments about previous experiences with Greenpeace and other grassroots environmental and human rights groups.

We held our election of officers and directors. The nominating committee, consisting of Bree James, Stephan Doyle and Diane Tiessen, presented the names of the nominees for officers and directors for the year 2000. There were no additional nominations from the floor. Those nominated and elected were: President-Pat Stillman, Vice President-Graham Barnes, Secretary-Rosemary Chang and Treasurer-Louise Throop. Nancy Davis, Stephan Doyle, Joanne Dean-Freemire, Bob Frillman and Derek Johnson comprise the Board of Directors. Finlay Boag is our attorney and legal advisor.

Bob Frillman gave a brief review of the San Francisco Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Alameda Watershed Resource Management Plan, especially the specific plan for the rock quarry. The SF EIR has included the 1995 Alameda County plan that was written by the Alameda County Planning Staff and paid for by Mission Valley Rock. Of course the Alameda County Planning Staff urged approval of their plan from both the County Planning Commission and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. SOS has always felt that this plan was politically motivated and environmentally flawed.

Derek Johnson gave an update on the County Open Space Initiative that would protect Sunol from development and urban sprawl. This has been a prolonged and tedious process and Derek has participated in all of the meetings with meaningful imput and valuable maps proposing protective boundary lines.

Jim O'Laughlin reported on the Town Meeting planned for Monday, January 31 in the school auditorium. He also mentioned that a corporation yard was planned for the corner of Foothill and Bond and the plan for a natural gas fueling station on that same site. Several SOS members who live near this corner property were uninformed of these county proposals and extremely concerned about the potential adverse impacts to their properties.

After our business meeting, we had a surprise birthday cake for Cindy Frillman. Cindy has always been very generous in sharing her artistic talents to benefit all of us.

The S. F. Planning staff held a public meeting at the Pleasanton Middle School on Tuesday, January 25 to hear public testimony on the draft EIR. SOS members and others expressed concerns about the quarry plan. The report does not deal with any of the devastating impacts to the citizens of Sunol, especially our children. No reference was made to the resolution passed by the Sunol Glen School Board opposing the quarry because of public health and safety concerns. The report also did not mitigate loss of habitat for endangered species, the destruction of the visual landscape, noise and air pollution, the conveyor belt under I-680, the loss of prime agricultural land and the lowering of our property values.

The next step for San Francisco is to evaluate the comments, both written and oral, and prepare a final presentation for the P.U.C. This is a very crucial time for Sunol. If anyone wants to become involved in fighting this devastating proposal please call me at 862-2263 or check out our web page at www.sunol.org. We are supported by Alameda Creek Alliance, Greenbelt Alliance, Sierra Club, Preserve Area Ridgelands and the Coalition of Organic Farmers.

Diane Tiessen, Bob and Cindy Frillman and I met February 9, with San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano's Administrative Assistant to acquaint him with the Sunol quarry issue. The Supervisor has called for a hearing before the Board AT 1 p.m. in San Francisco on March 21. We urge everyone opposed to this stripmine to contact SOS for details. The quarry is not a done deal!

SOS sponsored the Town Meeting held on Jan. 31 at the School. We thank Nancy Davis and Cindy Frillman for setting up the refreshment table and to the members of SOS who provided the cookies and paid for some of the mailing costs. The turnout was gratifying but it was unfortunate that we were not allowed to give an update on the quarry proposal.

There was also a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at the School on the dual project by the County for the corporation yard and the natural gas refueling station. Sunol residents were adamant that no EIR was done and that County officials had not notified us about these projects before starting their work. We are constituents and taxpayers and demand that public officials recognize our needs and concerns. Hopefully an alternative site will be found that will not infringe upon a residential neighborhood.

Congratulations and best wishes to Victoria and Graham Barnes on the birth of their baby son, Ian, born on December 26, 1999. Sisters, Nicola and Bessie are very happy and helpful with their new little brother. A report on our last SOS meeting, which was held on Mon., Feb. 28, will come to you soon.

SaveOur Sunol members and PUC Engineer Lena Chen at the Oakland Museum warehouse to view restored Water Temple elements. Ftont: Bob Frillman, Derek Johnson, Bree James, Irv Tiessen. Back: Diane Tiessen, Lena Chen, Rosemary Chang, Cindy Frillman, Pat Stillman, Bart Stillman.

Click for more photographs of the restored Water Temple elements