HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-21-2014 PC Jim and MarieGoodwin, Heather
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Public Comment 10/21/14
Mejia, Anthony
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 1:16 PM
Goodwin, Heather
FW: Excavating Laguna Lake while it's dry- Please read and pass it on
Anthony J. Mejia, MMC I City Clerk
990 P alni St.reot.
San Luis Obispo, Cis, 9340),
tel 1805,78,1-7102
From: Jim and Marie [mailto:lagunalake @ charter.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2014 1:10 PM
Subject: Excavating Laguna Lake while it's dry- Please read and pass it on
0-t 1"Ivi�n-
OCT 21 2014
COUNCIL MEETING:_10/7-1/4
fTLM NO.:- V+1
Jim will be speaking at the City Council meeting tonight at 6pm. We are encouraging everyone who can to
please attend as many city council meetings as you can and tell them you support taking advantage of the dry
lake conditions. The city won't move on this unless we let them know we really want it. And the lake won't be
dry forever. It could save millions of dollars excavating a dry lake as opposed to dredging when it's full so time
is precious.
Here is the schedule for the rest of the year:
All on Tues. @ 6pm.
October 21, 2014
November 10, 2014
November 18, 2014
December 2, 2014
December 16, 2014
Here's a copy of what Jim is going to say:
i know...
-The Laguna Lake Natural Reserve Conservation Plan is long & complicated.
-The dredging permit process itself is also long & complicated.
- According to the city Biologist there may be agencies that don't even want us to dredge the lake.
-We have environmental issues- steelhead, endangered plants, etc. that Atascadero Lake does not have.
-Even though a plan to dredge the lake was approved there is no method for funding it at this time.
-Bob Hill has said that the condition of the lake bed would be too challenging to drive trucks on.
-The Council moves slowly & meticulously following a long established process.
-That Mayor Marx has said we should wait until January and bring this idea up at the budget goal setting
workshop.
But I also know...
- That the plan, which has already been approved, does not get less complicated as it sits on a shelf.
- That Staff could immediately begin working out the specifics of excavating and fill dirt placement before we
even have the permits.
- The city could start the permit process now and dredge later- or dredge in increments.
- The Northern portion of the lake bed has tire tracks all over the place. It is now dry enough to drive on. If it
was an issue the City could use Heavy Duty Access Matting like Mega Deck.
- Atascadero's Deputy Public Works Director, David Athey, was recently on KCBX. He said the Water Control
Board and the Department of Fish and Wildlife were actually "quite helpful in accommodating and helping us
get permits and speed the process up"
- How can the active park, where the fill dirt is supposed to go, have endangered species on it? We have been
mowing, parking, mud running, disc- golfing and Renaissance faireing all over it.
- The Council has the ability to be flexible and think outside of the box and has done so before. Sometimes
immediate action is required when presented with a rare opportunity- as in saving millions of dollars.
- Waiting until January is wasting even more precious time that could be used researching the permit process.
What I would like to know...
-Why can't the council direct Staff to begin planning the dredging project now. Plan where the first 30,000 cu
yards of fill are going to be removed from the lake bed and where on the active park it will be placed.
-Why can't the City start the permit process immediately. If an agency really does not plan on letting us dredge
then we need to know NOW. It may be easier to get permits for smaller portions of excavation or fill dirt
placement where there are no identified endangered species.
In conclusion....
For years the City has said it wants to improve the lake- if that's true why not do some of it now- during a rare
opportunity that the lake is dry and save millions of dollars