Brentwood Press_7.24.09

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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa

Vol. 11, No. 30

Including Surrounding Communities

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Four-alarm fire under investigation by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer Inspectors combing through the rubble of a four-alarm blaze that destroyed 250 vehicles at a Brentwood auto dismantler Sunday said the District Attorney’s office is considering filing charges in connection with conditions at the site. Randy Sawyer, director of the county’s Hazardous Materials Program, said the violations found in a post-fire inspection of the Continental Auto Recyclers on Brentwood Boulevard probably did not contribute to the intensity of the fire, which caused the evacuation of 50 residents and forced about 150 others to shelter in place for several hours. The violations included open 300-gallon drums containing mixed oil and anti-freeze, shipping labels bearing incorrect ID numbers, and a lack of documentation on how materials such as anti-freeze were disposed of. Also, a mandatory site map showing where various materials were kept on the grounds was inaccurate, Sawyer said, which could have posed a danger for firefighters. There were

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July 24, 2009

THIS WEEK

Farewell to patriarch

A community stalwart has left behind a rich legacy of educational and agricultural accomplishment.

Page 13A

Photo by Richard Wisdom

Capt. Craig Gjerman, left, and Battalion Chief Jeff Burris stand atop burned-out cars while counting the number of vehicles destroyed in Sunday’s four-alarm fire at Continental Auto Recyclers in Brentwood. no injuries reported as a result of the fire. Sawyer added that the “sloppy” conditions at the site could have meant other violations were present that might have contributed to the fire, but evidence of any such conditions, if they existed, had been destroyed by the flames. “The DA is considering pos-

sible actions” regarding the conditions that were found, Sawyer said. “Nothing has been decided at this point.” Louis Kidwell, chief building official for the City of Brentwood, said the city’s code enforcement department had inspected the property just days before the fire and had drawn up a list of viola-

tions of its own, although they were related to storm-water contamination and not likely contributors to the fire’s intensity. They included problems with improper storage of car batteries and the lack of containment facilities for the draining of oil and anti-freeze

A Place worth saving The troubled economy threatens the existence of a tutoring facility heavily dependent on private funding.

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Tops in talent pool

see Fire page 18A

Roads, police among school-site concerns by Samie Hartley Staff Writer Unsatisfied with the completeness of the Liberty Union High School District’s draft environmental impact report for the proposed fourth high school, the city of Oakley submitted a letter of concerns on Monday to identify issues the city believes were not adequately addressed in the initial report. After reviewing the 225-page document, city staff reported to the council last week that while the report identifies significant impacts from the construction of the high school at the intersection of Delta Road and Sellers Avenue, the report failed to explain how funding would be handled for needed improvements to reduce environmental impacts. In the letter to LUHSD Director of Project Development Wayne Reeves, the city wrote: “We feel it is imperative that LUHSD include the fund-

“ The report states that it is Oakley’s responsibility since it is in our jurisdiction, but the district can’t put that on us since it is not part of our capital improvement projects.

Senior Planner Ken Strelo

ing to provide necessary infrastructure and emergency services in its bond measure as an integral part of constructing the high school campus.” The city also wrote to the district with concerns about “squishy” language used in the report. While significant impacts were identified, such as the need to expand various roads in Oakley to alleviate traffic congestion, there was no mention of

Sell stuff!

who will be responsible for the improvements. Oakley Senior Planner Ken Strelo said if the EIR is approved and no mitigation is specified, then no one is responsible for the necessary improvements and the roads might not be expanded in time, leading to traffic congestion as soon as the school opens its doors. The district states that it will contribute to improvements “if funding is available” but there is no mention of how things will be handled if no is funding available – implying that it might be up to the city of Oakley to foot the bill. “This will be a traffic hazard waiting to happen,” said Mayor Carol Rios. “This is a matter of safety for the students, parents and teachers. … It doesn’t work to say we would if we could.” In other cases, the report clearly identifies Oakley as the party responsible for funding improvements such as with the widening of Delta see School site page 18A

A Liberty grad and 18-time High School All-American will represent her country at an international meet in Rome.

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INSIDE Art ......................................4A Calendar ..........................23B Classifieds ........................15B Cop Logs ..........................16A Entertainment ................10B Food .................................12B Health & Beauty ............... 8B Milestones ......................... 6B Opinion ...........................15A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B

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