|
Lazy A Ranch chosen as
superior High School site
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — After two years of waiting and
endless research, the draft of the Environmental Impact Report
for the Alpine High Schools sites is finally available to
peruse. This document, which hails more than 600 pages, includes
every possible problem found on three different study sites
chosen as possibilities for the proposed new 12th high school in
the Grossmont district. The Draft EIR confirms what Alpine
submitted in an on-line survey more than a year ago: The Lazy-A
Ranch is the superior alternative building site for the proposed
12th high school.
Approximately 18 months ago, the district constituents
were asked to participate in an on-line survey to convey their
thoughts on where they believed was the best place to build a
high school. In that on-line survey, Alpine responded with a
winning contender in the Lazy-A Ranch. This area is on the outer
edge of Alpine, and driving through town to access this location
can be averted as it is close to a freeway off-ramp. The other
sites under consideration included Wright’s field, Chocolate
Summit and Tavern Road. The Tavern Road site was quickly negated
and Essentia, the company hired to study and compile the
Environmental Impact Report whittled the possibilities down to
the three well known study sites: Wright’s Field, Chocolate
Summit, and Lazy A.
Each site studied has environmental issues that
include, affecting core wildlife, loss of vegetation on Wright’s
Field, impacting a wildlife corridor on Chocolate Summit as well
as losing riparian scrub. Cultural Resources that were
considered include: disturbing two archaeological resources on
Wright’s Field, or disturbing two or three archaeological
resources and one historical resource on Chocolate Summit, or
directly disturb four archaeological resources, multiple
archaeological sites, including a significant village site which
would be preserved with open space on Lazy-A Ranch, as well as
disturbing the ranch structures which are older that 50 years.
Each site was studied for Geological impacts and each
site presented hazardous concerns that would be reduced to less
than significant. These concerns included unstable geologic
units and expansive soils on Wright’s Field as well as Chocolate
Summit and Lazy-A Ranch. Each site would be affected by hazards
and hazardous materials that are present under normal school
operating conditions. Each site, due to location, presented
concerns with possibilities of wildfire as well as the transport
and removal of disposal and hazardous waste. However, Chocolate
Summit has a presence of existing landfill that could result in
a significant impact.
The land use issue that was studied includes arguments
that are not consistent with the General Plan of Alpine. Because
of normal school operation, the Alpine community character will
be changed, noise and night time views due to stadium use during
campus events will also be a concern. Population of the area was
a concern for both Chocolate Summit and Lazy-A Ranch as
residents will be displaced if construction takes place, but
Chocolate Summit presented the most concern when it came to
traffic and circulation. Water resources will be affected on all
areas, but mitigation will reduce the environmental impact.
With the publication of this Draft EIR, the community
is asked to carefully review it in the next 45 days and submit
any comments to the district. This document in it’s entirety can
be found on the Grossmont Union High School website under the
Proposition H heading, or you may contact the district for a
copy of this document.
 E-mail
the Editor
|
