Letter: We should demand oversight of projects with valley fever risk
To the editor,
The notice was warning residents of the impending danger of Valley Fever due to the land disturbances during the development of this project. The notice came from Michael Naggar of Michael Naggar and Associates, Inc. His advice is to stay inside, use your air conditioner and wear an N95 mask at all times.
Mr. Naggar is, for all intents and purposes, is the Project Manager for this development. At one time, this land/project was owned by the Olsen family. But recently, (I believe it was 2019) the senior Mr. Olsen passed away and the family sold their interest in this project to Mr. Naggar.
Although Mr. Naggar is the overall Project Manager, this land, this project has now been broken up into “parcels” and sold off to individual construction companies. This development has been on the books for years and years and years. The property is zoned for this and the owners have every right to develop it as approved. No one denies their legal rights.
However, every single person in every single department in this city that had a hand in this project dismissed the reported and documented dangers that this project would pose to the public. They took the warnings from the extensive Environmental Impact Report (aka EIR) and basically ignored them by allowing the developer to present the mitigation measures they would use to overcome the dangers. Once those were presented, the planning commission and the city council waved them through with high-fives all around, and never looked back.
By approving this project, the city council assumed responsibility for the project’s adherence to the EIR Mitigation Mandates. We can, and should demand that a city representative continuously monitor the job site. There are several safety measures the developer must adhere to. Here are just two:
- Using water trucks, they must keep the construction area free from air-borne dust.
- They are not allowed to use earth-moving equipment on days when the wind speed exceeds 14 mph.
The following link takes you to the EIR Air Quality Report/Mitigation Measures:
https://www.prcity.com/DocumentCenter/View/27932/App-C1—Air-Quality-and-GHG-Report
Go to page 22. Then look at AQ-5 on page 23. That tells you what is required of them to reduce fugitive dust. And to slocleanair.org SLO County Air Pollution Control District – What is Valley Fever?
If you don’t already know; the North County is heavily impacted by Valley Fever and has been forever! If you search around, you will see hundreds of reports of illnesses due to this disease.
There is nothing we can do about the fact that Valley Fever exists here and is pervasive in our everyday life. But we can demand oversight of these developments by our city.
This project is only 1 of 6 recently approved for development within the next year or two. It’s in our own best interest to stay vigilant and demand the city do the same.
Your city councilman for this area and this new development is Fred Strong – 805-227-7213.
Mr. Naggar has fulfilled his legal obligation of notifying residents of the potential health risks due to contracting Valley Fever from this project. He has been kind enough to provide his phone number (805) 635-1697. Please do not hesitate to call him with questions or concerns.
Stay Safe,
Jan Albin
Paso Robles
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