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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 12, No. 11
Balfour project heads for ballot by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer Obligated by election law to place an initiative seeking to annex 740 acres to the city’s southwest border on the June ballot, there was little the Brentwood City Council could do Tuesday except order the issue sent to the voters for a decision. That didn’t prevent supporters and opponents from turning out at Tuesday’s meeting to let their views be known at the outset of what could be a contentious campaign. “This latest attempt to add 740 acres to Brentwood’s southwestern border is simply an attempt by developer advocates and land-grab specialists to be able to build 1,300 homes and commercially develop the area,” said Kathy Griffin, who is organizing opposition to the
proposed Balfour Road Initiative. Besides being an “inappropriate” area for development, she said, the initiative’s promised amenities are described in vague, deceptive terms such as “trying” to sell the homes to owner-occupiers; “encouraging” contractors to use local labor; and “recommending” that the County Flood Control District allow a sports complex to be built in a drainage basin. “None of this is tangible,” she said. “It’s bright, shiny promises like these that voters need to know can’t and will never materialize.” The initiative, which qualified for the ballot in a petition drive in February, drew more supporters than opponents to the podium Tuesday. Among those in favor was former mayor Brian Swisher, who see Balfour page 18A
Two to tango
Spring Forward March 14
Making a pink stink Photo by Ger Erickson
ur Moon is more than an object of awe and wonder; she’s an indispensable partner in Earth’s dance through the cosmos. For musings on our lunar consort – facts and fantasies – see page 6A.
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by Rick Lemyre
“ We were married, we got divorced, and
Work will proceed on a $9.8 million solid waste transfer station in Brentwood after the City Council decided it makes the best sense for ratepayers. The facility, which will be able to handle the city’s garbage through build-out (75,000 residents), had come to the council last month but was put on hold when a representative of Garaventa Enterprises offered to pay for a third party’s thorough analysis of Brentwood’s trash operation. The representative said he expected the analysis to show it was a better financial deal to use Garaventa’s Pittsburg facility rather than build the new station. A subcommittee of councilmen Chris Becnel and Erick Stonebarger was appointed to
it was nasty. Now you want to get married again?
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City Councilman Bob Brockman work with Garaventa on the analysis. An initial review of operating expenses showed hauling Brentwood’s refuse to Pittsburg would result in $2.4 million in cost increases, Becnel reported Tuesday, so the subcommittee decided not to initiate the comprehensive study. Councilman Brandon Richey said that the failure to finish the study made it impossible to review other important information he had hoped to see, including potential revenues from better handling of recycled materials. He also
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March 12, 2010
This Week Daylight Saving Time Begins
Council moves trash facility forward Staff Writer
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challenged the assumptions used in the smaller review concerning the impact the trips to Pittsburg would make on the life expectancy of trucks. One resident said he did not like the idea of using a transfer station instead of hauling the waste to Pittsburg, because the latter is a full-service Mixed Refuse Facility (MRF) and could do a better job keeping up with everchanging laws about recycling and greenhouse gas reduction. The planned facility was just a concrete floor and four walls, he said,
Gobbler gaggle go to news/WebExtras! Heads turned as a train of turkeys made tracks across a local park.
and it would cost millions more to upgrade its recycling handling capability. Becnel, however, said the city did not intend to enter the recycling business, as it was more cost effective to send the waste, presorted by customers, to a facility that can do it better. Stonebarger said he favored moving the facility from its current location next to Sunset Fields to city-owned property about a half-mile north, but he opposed spending the money at this time. He preferred to wait until the station was closer to capacity, possibly five to 10 years down the road, depending on how fast the economy recovers. The current facility now handles 160 tons per day, and can handle up to 200 tons per day. see Trash page 18A
War heroes
go to news/press releases An upcoming event honors those who served in the jungles of Vietnam.
School budget cuts inspired a statewide event that sent Sacramento a clear-cut message. Page 3A
Season to get seasoned
The Liberty and Heritage tennis teams are full of fresh faces raring to face veteran opponents across the net. Page 1B
Plus: Calendar ............................ 23B Classifieds ......................... 14B Cop Logs ............................14A Entertainment ................. 10B Health & Beauty ................ 8B Opinion ..............................13A Outdoors ............................. 6A Sports ................................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Special gate
go to multimedia/videos An innovative program helps students with special needs find good jobs.