Coalition Newsletter

August 26 , 2006

We have a lot of news to report! 

See below for recent changes on our Board of Directors, what is happening with Dutra and San Rafael Rock Quarry, the proposed development at Loch Lomond Marina, and  Disaster Preparedness for our neighborhoods.

Changes on our Board of Directors:

We wish Coalition Founder and Co-President Jonathan Freiman and our Board Secretary, Marie Fisher, all the best as they move on to other pursuits. Both have dedicated so much of their time and resources to the Coalition and its many projects and have promised their ongoing support of our efforts.  Marie will continue to volunteer her time as a member of the Quarry Committee.

We are happy to introduce and welcome two new Board Members:

Alan Schaevitz:  Is the webmaster for the SPR Coalition, serves on the Board of the Bayside Acres HOA and is a member of the Loch Lomond Marina Committee.  Now retired, he was an independent computer communications consultant for 20 years.  Before that he was VP at Bank of America responsible for the Bank’s worldwide data network planning.  He is married to Wendy Schaevitz, a father of 2 children and stepfather of 2 more, and recently became a grandfather (August 3, 2006).

Dave Crutcher: Is co-chair of the Coalition’s Quarry Committee and has assisted the Coalition’s Environmental Committee.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and an attorney in San Rafael specializing in ERISA and employee benefits.  Before establishing his own practice in San Rafael in 2004, he was a partner with the San Francisco law firm of Thelen Reid & Priest LLP.  He lives in Marin Bay Park with his wife Meredee and their 6 year-old daughter Mia. 

Quarry Operating Conditions:

In July, the quarry suspended its court-ordered operating conditions and began operating 24/7 until required to stop by the Board of Supervisors.   For details, including a copy of the Marin Voice article by Bonnie Marmor and Dave Crutcher go to the Quarry News page.

The Marin IJ has reported about the increasing number of complaints concerning quarry operations—and the quarry’s denials of any violations of the court-ordered operating conditions.  If you missed the story, click here to read it.

Remember, if you are disturbed by the Quarry’s operations, you should let the County know!  All you need to do is send an email to Eric Steger at esteger@co.marin.ca.us describing what disturbed you (blasting? trucks? noise from crushers? etc.), when it occurred, and the level of the problem (for example, moderate blast, slight shaking of your home, or unusually large blast and a brief description of its effect).  For a sample complaint, or to learn about the Quarry’s operating conditions, go to the Quarry Operating Conditions page.

Dutra News:

The San Rafael Rock Quarry is owned by the Dutra Group.  A related company, Dutra Dredging Co., has been in the news.  A $750,000 fine was imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the Dutra Dredging Co. for illegal dumping in marine sanctuary waters near the Farallon Islands outside the Golden Gate. (Click here to see the S.F. Chronicle article). According to a Dredging News Online article, the Miami Herald reported that earlier this year, Miami-Dade County settled a long-standing lawsuit with Dutra Construction for US$22.5 million over a botched dredging project at the Port of Miami-Dade, ending what it called "an embarrassing saga that began more than a decade ago."

"The dredging was finally completed in November, though the project stemmed back to 1994, when now-bankrupt Dutra Construction of California was awarded the contract by then-port director Carmen Lunetta, who testified during the three week trial in Miami-Dade Circuit Court," said the newspaper.

The county advanced Dutra US$9 million for work that hadn't yet been done, but the company abandoned the job in 1997 amid financial difficulties. A Dutra affiliate was brought back again in 1999 for a second chance but couldn't finish the job and also quit.  Another company brought into finish the project that the Duta companies had left unfinished, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, finished the dredging last year.  For more on what happened in Miami, see the Miami New Times article.

Loch Lomond Marina:

The San Rafael Planning Commission is planning to hold a study session on the Parking and Circulation Study for the Village at Loch Lomond Marina project on September 12, 2006.

On July 25, 2006, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the mayor and council give PSP approval for the Village at Loch Lomond Project as well as for 11 housing units near the San Pedro School.  PSP stands for Project Selection Process and is a procedure used to assure that traffic impacts from new development do not exceed the level of service (LOS) standards set in the General Plan.  The process is also designed to favor proposals that provide significant public benefit in areas of limited traffic capacity. PSP approval does not guarantee an entitlement to develop, but it does reserve traffic capacity for 2 years while the project pursues all other needed approvals.  No extension beyond the 2-year period is possible, but a project may reapply for PSP approval if it is not able to meet the 2-year deadline.

Subsequently, the Mayor and City Council met and, after discussions and public input, voted to approve the recommended PSP assignments for the Village at Loch Lomond and the housing project near the San Pedro School.  This approval came in spite of the LLMC’s documentation of errors and conflicting statements in the PSP analysis by the Planning Department staff, differences between that analysis and the submitted designs by the developers, and explicit recognition of those facts by the City Council. After several Council members indicated that they did not understand the material in the preparation packet and the mayor pointed out that they could act only on the official plan, not on discussions of possible changes in the plan, and answers from Bob Brown and Nadar Mansourian only seemed to add to the confusion, the Council should have continued the public hearing, asked for better preparation (clear, understandable, accurate) and then acted on that resolution instead of approving the flawed PSP plan. See the Marina page for further information.

Also, on the Marina News page there is a link to a letter that was in the August 19th Marin IJ about what is wrong with the infill housing proposed at the Loch Lomond Marina and to a recent Pacific Sun article that summarizes the issues surrounding the planned development at Loch Lomond Marina.

Disaster Preparedness:

Committee Chair, Yves Masson, Yves, who is a FEMA-certified instructor, has been giving disaster preparedness workshops in our area.  He has volunteered to help local HOA’s to be prepared in the event of an emergency by giving trainings. A considerable amount of information regarding disaster preparedness can be found on our Disaster Preparedness page including what you can do to prepare yourself and you family.

The Coalition needs your support:

A great deal of work lies ahead to protect our community and environment. Your contributions to the Coalition are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. All of the Coalition directors, committee chairs and members are non-paid volunteers. Please make an investment to protect the environment of the Point San Pedro Road Corridor. Send your check payable to the San Pedro Road Coalition to:

 San Pedro  Road Coalition
 Box 449
 369 "B" Third Street
 San Rafael, CA 94901