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High School and Powerlink will
bring big changes in 2010
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — For many 2010 is going to be
their year. As Alpine looks forward to ongoing projects, we can
picture the Alpine High School moving ahead, on schedule,
according to the Project Manager Katy Wright of Gafcon/Harris
for the Grossmont Union High School District. In addition, we
see the Sunrise Powerlink on the horizon as well as some changes
to our town of Alpine in the form of improvements to Alpine
Boulevard.
GUHSD has been facing some serious financial stresses
along with every other school district in California. They have
faced cuts that have equaled up to over $50 million in 2009, and
are expecting more to trickle down from Sacramento. But despite
the statewide cuts, the district has been trotting forward in
their efforts to finish up construction projects and forge on to
actually delivering a high school campus to Alpine that is to
open in 2013.
Gafcon/Harris Project Manager Katy Wright has been
present at every GUHSD board meeting to deliver news on the
progress of the bond projects that are in construction and are
in completion phases. Granite Hills High School, which houses
the majority of Alpine high school students has receive an
overhaul on their underground infrastructure, modernization to
seven buildings which includes the addition of restroom
facilities, re-modeled ceilings, electrical, and technological
upgrades.
Steele Canyon that also houses many Alpine high school
students is still mainly in construction phase, but is
definitely on target with their modernization efforts.
The 12th high school project, the Alpine High School is
on target with a 25 percent activity rating. The phase status at
this point is listed in pre-design, but is going well.
Currently, the district is working on purchasing properties on
the east side of Alpine, which is known to all as the Lazy-A
Ranch. Two properties have been acquired, and the district is
working on a third as of the last GUHSD board meeting.
Sunrise Powerlink has been a phrase that has had Alpine
in a tizzy for the last several years. This major project by SDG&E
seems to have little regard for the disruption that will occur
to the town of Alpine. Local leaders and representatives from
the community have proposed questions regarding under grounding
the project along the length of Alpine Boulevard.
Many businesses in Alpine are located directly on
Alpine Boulevard with little room for disturbance to their
storefronts. When the Powerlink is installed, many are afraid of
the disruption that will happen to business, as major digging
along the boulevard will virtually cut off incoming traffic to
our local businesses.
While the project managers of the Sunrise Powerlink
project are trying their best to allay growing fears and
concerns in Alpine, people are looking at situations that
couldn’t possibly parallel the afore mentioned completed
projects of SDG&E.
The community members of Alpine are waiting on a
hydrolysis report that expected to be filed with the county in
the coming months, as well as a Preliminary Engineering Report
for the project filed by the Department of Planning and Land
Use.
Among other concerns, by Alpine residents regarding the
SRPL include the potential hazards that are inherent in any
electrical transmission project. Lopez has assured community
members that SDG&E implements an excellent safety program.
He also has said that trench plates will be set
properly during the construction process as well as dust and
rock management will be controlled. He also no blasting will be
taking place and signage will be placed at the site.
MacDonald added that the cables would not be placed in
close proximity to Alpine Elementary School. She said that SDG&E
officials are claiming that the burial distance under the
boulevard would exceed the distanced for safety required by the
California Public Utilities Commission. They are also assuring
that driveways to business will always be available to
clientele, and they will maintain access on the boulevard.
On a whole, the Sunrise Powerlink project has been
contested, argued and feared by many in the Back Country of San
Diego. Opposition to the project has been working steadily to
put a halt to progress on the project as well by filing
lawsuits, but SDG&E maintains that they need this Powerlink to
proceed.
The general fear is that the Southwest power line will
be lost and the San Diego will be dark. MacDonald said, “It’s
time for us to build a second transmission line in San Diego
County.”
With the looming realization that SRPL is coming,
Alpine has formed a Revitalization Committee to demand that when
SDG&E is finished with their project, our town will be better
than it was before. The Revitalization Committee has taken steps
to plan a better future for our Boulevard, to make it more
inviting to business opportunity and community traffic.
On Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Alpine Community Center,
Supervisor Dianne Jacob and committee members will host a Town
Hall meeting to discuss the project and the future plans for
Alpine Boulevard. Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting
to speak their mind, ask questions and get information.
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